NCAA Basketball: 2018-19 preseason All-Americans/awards predictions

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 22: A general view before the start of the Michigan State Spartans versus Virginia Cavaliers in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on March 22, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 28: Barrett #6 of Montverde Academy dunks. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Freshman of the Year

RJ Barrett | Duke | No. 1 recruit

Ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the 2018 class, RJ Barrett is the clear frontrunner to win Freshman of the Year at this point. Even though Barrett is yet to play a single collegiate minute, many are already hyping his potential to win National Player of the Year. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski landed arguably the most hyped recruiting class ever for this coming season and Barrett is a major reason why. At 6-foot-7 with a versatile offensive game, Barrett projects as a matchup nightmare for every team in the nation.

While surprisingly leading Canada to a gold medal at the FIBA U19 Men’s Basketball World Cup this summer, Barrett put together an outrageous stat line: 21.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. A high-quality playmaker and scorer at 6-foot-7, Barrett is a multipositional athlete who can play 1-through-4 on both ends of the floor. Quite simply, this versatility is what makes Barrett’s potential so incredibly high as a future NBA superstar.

Due to his ability to score from just about anywhere on the floor, Barrett projects as the leading scorer for Duke this season. Additionally, he could easily function as a secondary playmaker for extended periods of time. On the whole, he can basically fill any need when on the court for the Blue Devils.

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