Draft Profile: R.J. Barrett

I want to thank God, my family, my coaches and everyone that has helped me reach this decision 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/z3GwdcV2ht

— Rj Barrett (@RjBarrett6) April 10, 2019

As we count down to the 2019 NBA Draft, the staff here at Cavs: The Blog will be taking a look at the players who could be available to the Cleveland Cavaliers with either of their first-round picks. Today, we take a look at Duke swingman R.J. Barrett.

Background Information

• Name: Rowan Alexander Barrett (R.J.)
• Height: 6’7″
• Weight: 208
• College: Played his freshman season at Duke University before declaring for the NBA Draft last Wednesday.
• Accolades: 2016 Jordan Brand Classic International MVP, 2017 FIBA Under-19 World Cup MVP, 2018 Gatorade National Player of the Year, 2018 McDonald’s All-American, 2018 Naismith Prep Player of the Year, 2019 Consensus First-Team All-American, 2019 First-Team All-ACC
• Background: Barrett’s parents, Rowan Sr. and Kesha Duhaney were both athletes at St. John’s University. Barrett Sr. was a member of the men’s basketball team, and Duhaney was a nationally ranked sprinter and long jumper for the women’s track and field team. His father also played for the Canadian national basketball team, and was the team captain for the 2000 Olympic Games. Barrett’s maternal aunt and grandparents were members of the Jamaican national track and field team. Barrett is the godson of former MVP and Hall of Famer, Steve Nash.

Strengths

A big, athletic shooting guard with a smooth looking game, Barrett plays with great energy on the offensive end. He is adept at combining his size, strength, and skill to get to the basket and the free throw line, where he averaged nearly six attempts per game during his one season at Duke. This led to Barrett breaking the ACC’s freshman scoring record. He also uses his speed and athleticism well in transition, whether scoring himself or setting up teammates.  A solid passer for his position who works well in the pick-and-roll, Barrett averaged 4.3 assists per game at Duke. He could average even more in the NBA as he matures. His effort may be most evident in his rebounding, as he averaged 7.6 boards per game, a very impressive number for a guard. Between his time at Duke and his leading Canada to the FIBA Under-19 World Championship, he has played a lot of high-level basketball for an 18 year old.

Weaknesses

While Barrett’s shooting stroke looks solid enough, he struggled from both the line (66.5%) and from beyond the arc (30.8%) this season. Despite the potential he has shown as a passer, Barrett struggles with tunnel vision at times, trying to play hero ball and hoisting some ill-advised shots. He also struggles with finishing with his right hand. Of greater concern was the fact that he exhibited little defensive effort, prowess, or potential during his time at Duke. Barrett routinely let his man get by him, particularly when defending off the ball, and rarely gave the kind of second and third efforts that are the hallmarks of a good defender. He also averaged just 0.9 steals and 0.4 blocks this season. While they are certainly not the end-all in terms of defense, block and steal rates have typically been a good predictor of a college player’s success at the next level. While Barrett is a smooth athlete, it’s hard to call him an explosive one. He get’s up and down the court quickly, but isn’t a consistent high flyer.

Thoughts

There are certainly a variety of differing opinions on Barrett, and projecting his worth both in the draft and as an NBA player requires a bit of context. On one hand, he’s put up some impressive counting statistics while carrying Duke to a few wins as an 18 year old. He seems like a driven player and good teammate. The intangibles are there. Still, the poor defense and inefficient scoring cannot be ignored. There’s also the fact that Barrett wasn’t able to carry Duke while Williamson was out, putting him a tier (or more) below his teammate.

Those negative traits certainly aren’t ideal, but are they really enough to make Barrett fall very far in the draft? Before you say yes, it’s important to look at the other players who will be drafted around him. Besides Williamson, Ja Morant may go ahead of Barrett, but there are certainly concerns with his defense as well. While Morant averaged a solid 1.8 steals per game this season, his block and steal numbers as a freshman were identical to Barrett’s and he played in a much weaker conference.

Other wing options such as Jarrett Culver and De’Andre Hunter aren’t without their warts either. Both went through significant scoring droughts in the NCAA Tournament. Culver has his own issues with shot selection, and while Hunter is more efficient, it’s hard to see him as a primary scorer at the next level. Both players are better defenders and a bit more polished than Barrett, but considering that Culver and Hunter are 16 and 30 months older, respectively, shouldn’t they be?

There’s a case to be made that Barrett coming into the public consciousness at such a young age has caused him to be overexposed a bit. Despite being just 18 years old, Barrett has been around long enough for people to pick apart his game. When that happens, the grass may seem greener on the other side of the fence. There’s nothing wrong with preferring Culver or Hunter, but there’s not really a case that they are undoubtedly better prospects.

The best example of Hunter’s overexposure would be when comparing him to fellow top prospect, Darius Garland. While Garland shot extremely well during the five games he played at Vanderbilt, the man has plenty of holes in his game. He averaged less than three assists per game, had a negative assist-to-turnover ratio, is a fairly average athlete, and posted even weaker defensive statistics than Barrett. Still, Garland isn’t picked apart as much as Barrett is because he hasn’t had as much exposure. It’s understandable, but that doesn’t mean it’s right.

In the end, Barrett may never be the franchise-changing star that he was expected to be coming out of high school, but it does seem likely he’ll be a good NBA player for a very long time. He doesn’t have the all-around ability of LeBron James, but doesn’t lack the fire of Andrew Wiggins either. If I had to bet, Barrett will develop into a very good, if somewhat inefficient, player in the mold of DeMar DeRozan, a player with some similar college numbers. While DeRozan has his faults (as Cavalier fans are well aware) in terms of defense and outside shooting. He is a solid rebounder and ball handler who can score from mid-range and in. He’s a great teammate who has improved every season of his career, and has become an All-Star because of it. He’s also the kind of big passing guard who would allow the Cavaliers to keep Collin Sexton as their nominal starting point guard. If the Cavaliers maintain the second spot in the NBA Draft, Barrett won’t be a surefire choice for the Cavaliers, he may be their best option.