Duke Basketball: 2019 NBA Draft profile of Blue Devil guard RJ Barrett

Strengths

Barrett scores the basketball. It’s one of his oldest instincts. Some blessed human beings walk onto a basketball court for the first time in their lives and put the ball through the hoop over and over and over again. If you have a son or daughter, or you’re spry enough to remember your own playing days, from even age 4-5 there’s always the kid that stands out, and I mean STANDS OUT. Like, they’re the best player on the floor by such a wide margin it’s insulting. From first grade on, they’re known as the kid who can ball. First pick in any recess pickup game and the leading scorer on the best team in the city every single season.

Few years pass and the parents of the mortal children who’ve watched the young superstar on or against their own kid’s team for the past half-dozen years start whispering. “Kid’s special–gonna wind up in the League someday.” That kid from the day he laid his knobby toddler fingers on a basketball, is RJ Barrett.

He punked his opponents in grade school, dominated his locality as a high schooler, send jaws to the floor in AAU circuits, and eventually pulled off Canada’s greatest high school basketball achievement. Barrett is a lifelong winner, eccentric scorer, and pure unquestioned alpha on the court.

With Barrett, there is no lack of confidence or awareness in a basketball environment. He was built to be an NBA player. He already carries himself like an NBA superstar, which he believes he will be. Unlike his smiling teammate, Zion, RJ wears a smirk that tells his opponents I’m the best player on this court and I’m about to put a knife through your eye. I love it. RJ Barrett is a bonafide basketball star. The code of a legendary hooper is written in his DNA.

Now, in terms of precise pluses of his game, there’s plenty. Barrett is the best scorer in the draft besides Zion. The 6’7 wing possesses an innate ability to drive the lane and get to the basket whenever the desire strikes. Watching him at Duke–especially when Zion sat–reminded me of Rocky when Mick is in the corner screaming “The body! Take it to the body, Rock!” over and over again, and Rocky lands gut shot after gut shot to Apollo until the dude’s about ready to collapse. With Barrett, he is relentless with his drives to the hoop and is an expert finisher in the paint. Krzyzewski can call the same RJ iso 50 times over and Barrett would score half the time I’d be willing to bet. Over and over again, take it to the basket, RJ!

Barrett, aside from his scoring, is also a crafty passer, and can really circumvent an offense with his playmaking ability when he removes the doggy cone from around his neck. I actually think Barrett fills out nicely as a slash-and-kick wing with a specialization in attacking the basket in the NBA. Someone who can cut through a spaced-out defense and make quick decisions after the entry pass–whether it’s kicking to a corner shooter or charging the rim.

Offensively, RJ is a treat, and after some development, he should become a comfortable 20-per-game guy like he’s been so far through every stage of his career. Barrett is an unquestioned lead scorer in theory and is as naturally gifted as they come at putting the ball in the basket.

Defensively, Barrett is far from worthless. Sure, he’s a ball-watcher from time to time and his off-ball IQ and overall consistency need to improve, but there are no signs to suggest he won’t figure it out. In one-on-one situations, Barrett vacuums breathing room and limits his opponent’s space, disabling easy drives to the lane and hampering their court vision. Just like on offense, Barrett is a competitor on the defensive end as well. While he may not have the skillset or numbers as a Matisse Thybulle out of Washington, Barrett’s effort level matches the elites on this side of the ball, though he’ll need to bring that possession after possession, and night after night once he enters the League.

And his competitiveness/toughness on the defensive end repeat in terms of his ability as a rebounder. Barrett is a fierce board-chaser and has that Dennis Rodman type of sixth sense of where and when to attack the glass to come up with the ball. Despite not being a ridiculous athlete and only standing 6’7, Barrett absorbs rebounds like a 10-year veteran forward.