RJ Barrett

[akhan786]

A "more aggressive Harrison Barnes" is a comparison that really strikes a chord for me. Especially when you factor in the background, ranking, and pedigree.

Not a bad player, but certainly not a #1 pick.

[GreatWhiteStiff]

24/7/4 average so far...he's probably have that in the NBA as well just based on natural talent but I worry that a lot of his production will come at the expense of the overarching offense. There are things he really needs to improve on in terms developing his off-ball game and court vision.

I still stick to DeMar DeRozan in terms of the type/level of player, even though there are some athletic differences there as well. Maybe James Harden but without the playmaking?

He's in my top 10, though probably closer to 10 than 5.

DeMar was busy averaging 13 PPG in college his freshman year.

RJ's statline is something that freshmen simply don't average. Dropping it down to 20/5/3, only 5 freshman has ever done it. Most notable our boy Fultz (who was awesome in college).

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&class_is_fr=Y&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_gf=Y&pos_is_f=Y&pos_is_fg=Y&pos_is_fc=Y&pos_is_c=Y&pos_is_cf=Y&games_type=A&c1stat=pts_per_g&c1comp=gt&c1val=23&c2stat=trb_per_g&c2comp=gt&c2val=5&c3stat=ast_per_g&c3comp=gt&c3val=3&order_by=pts

If he does finish 20/5/3+, no way he slips past 3.

Yeah its a bit weird comparing Barrett to derozan when derozan didn't really look like an allstar in college. I guess he compares to current nba derozan plays in the nba, which is already an allstar level? Derozan's offensive skillset/package is pretty great now. Derozan improved a tremendous amount after his first few years in the nba as well, but I guess people are assuming RJ will come into the nba stronger/more complete and not improve as much which I guess is pretty safe.

[clyde21]

24/7/4 average so far...he's probably have that in the NBA as well just based on natural talent but I worry that a lot of his production will come at the expense of the overarching offense. There are things he really needs to improve on in terms developing his off-ball game and court vision.

I still stick to DeMar DeRozan in terms of the type/level of player, even though there are some athletic differences there as well. Maybe James Harden but without the playmaking?

He's in my top 10, though probably closer to 10 than 5.

DeMar was busy averaging 13 PPG in college his freshman year.

RJ's statline is something that freshmen simply don't average. Dropping it down to 20/5/3, only 5 freshman has ever done it. Most notable our boy Fultz (who was awesome in college).

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&class_is_fr=Y&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_gf=Y&pos_is_f=Y&pos_is_fg=Y&pos_is_fc=Y&pos_is_c=Y&pos_is_cf=Y&games_type=A&c1stat=pts_per_g&c1comp=gt&c1val=23&c2stat=trb_per_g&c2comp=gt&c2val=5&c3stat=ast_per_g&c3comp=gt&c3val=3&order_by=pts

If he does finish 20/5/3+, no way he slips past 3.

Yeah its a bit weird comparing Barrett to derozan when derozan didn't really look like an allstar in college. I guess he compares to current nba derozan plays in the nba, which is already an allstar level? Derozan's offensive skillset/package is pretty great now. Derozan improved a tremendous amount after his first few years in the nba as well, but I guess people are assuming RJ will come into the nba stronger/more complete and not improve as much which I guess is pretty safe.

I'm not comparing them as prospects. I'm comparing him to current DeMar DeRozan as the type/level of player I think he's going to be.

[ItsThatEasy]

Pretty disappointed in what I've seen so far.

The RJ I saw in high school seemed so aggressive because he was always clearly the best player on his team. Happens with pretty much every Non-PG in high school. Didn't expect him to be this bullheaded and selfish in college at all.

I never saw hero ball as a part of RJ's make up until now, poor timing for sure. Still talented as hell though.

[CptCrunch]

DeMar was busy averaging 13 PPG in college his freshman year.

RJ's statline is something that freshmen simply don't average. Dropping it down to 20/5/3, only 5 freshman has ever done it. Most notable our boy Fultz (who was awesome in college).

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&class_is_fr=Y&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_gf=Y&pos_is_f=Y&pos_is_fg=Y&pos_is_fc=Y&pos_is_c=Y&pos_is_cf=Y&games_type=A&c1stat=pts_per_g&c1comp=gt&c1val=23&c2stat=trb_per_g&c2comp=gt&c2val=5&c3stat=ast_per_g&c3comp=gt&c3val=3&order_by=pts

If he does finish 20/5/3+, no way he slips past 3.

Yeah its a bit weird comparing Barrett to derozan when derozan didn't really look like an allstar in college. I guess he compares to current nba derozan plays in the nba, which is already an allstar level? Derozan's offensive skillset/package is pretty great now. Derozan improved a tremendous amount after his first few years in the nba as well, but I guess people are assuming RJ will come into the nba stronger/more complete and not improve as much which I guess is pretty safe.

I'm not comparing them as prospects. I'm comparing him to current DeMar DeRozan as the type/level of player I think he's going to be.

RJ guaranteed to be current DeRozan, not 1% better, up to 30% worse is the #1 pick.

DeRozan is an awesome outcome

[eminence]

I can't see a guaranteed DeRozan as a #1 pick.

[clyde21]

Yeah its a bit weird comparing Barrett to derozan when derozan didn't really look like an allstar in college. I guess he compares to current nba derozan plays in the nba, which is already an allstar level? Derozan's offensive skillset/package is pretty great now. Derozan improved a tremendous amount after his first few years in the nba as well, but I guess people are assuming RJ will come into the nba stronger/more complete and not improve as much which I guess is pretty safe.

I'm not comparing them as prospects. I'm comparing him to current DeMar DeRozan as the type/level of player I think he's going to be.

RJ guaranteed to be current DeRozan, not 1% better, up to 30% worse is the #1 pick.

DeRozan is an awesome outcome

He's not guaranteed to be anything. That's just the archtype player I see him being in the NBA.

[CptCrunch]

I'm not comparing them as prospects. I'm comparing him to current DeMar DeRozan as the type/level of player I think he's going to be.

RJ guaranteed to be current DeRozan, not 1% better, up to 30% worse is the #1 pick.

DeRozan is an awesome outcome

He's not guaranteed to be anything. That's just the archtype player I see him being in the NBA.

Except he is nothing like DeRozan mentality wise, skillwise aside from the fact he is Canadian and DeRozan spent years playing in Canada.

[clyde21]

RJ guaranteed to be current DeRozan, not 1% better, up to 30% worse is the #1 pick.

DeRozan is an awesome outcome

He's not guaranteed to be anything. That's just the archtype player I see him being in the NBA.

Except he is nothing like DeRozan mentality wise, skillwise aside from the fact he is Canadian and DeRozan spent years playing in Canada.

Except that I disagree. Mentality wise they play similarly. Neither has great court vision, can be a black hole offensively, like to score in the mid-range and around the basket, similar body types, etc.

If you disagree that's fine. But every time I watch Barrett that's exactly who I think of.

[clyde21]

Battle is so underrated. He's carrying Syracuse right now.

[Duke4life831]

Battle is so underrated. He's carrying Syracuse right now.

Had to change the game. The offense in that game was burning my eyes. Glad to hear Battle picked it up.

[13th Man]

I'm surprised no one has compared RJ to a bigger Tyreke Evans; they are both excellent slashers to the basket. Tyreke is a better shooter while RJ is a way better finisher especially at the rim.

[RaptorsLife]

Another great game by RJ

30/7/6/2 9-19 from field and 3-8 from 3

That Gonzaga game really was the best thing for him.

Dude hadn't lost a game since junior year in high school

[Duke4life831]

I'm surprised no one has compared RJ to a bigger Tyreke Evans; they are both excellent slashers to the basket. Tyreke is a better shooter while RJ is a way better finisher especially at the rim.

RJ is the better shooter than a freshman Evans. Evans the far far superior facilitator.

[GimmeDat]

Tyreke also has always had nasty handles. RJ, not so much.

[RaptorsLife]

Tyreke don’t even got close to the same level of competiness and the drive to be great like RJ lol

Not even similar.

[King Ken]

Tyreke had a high floor. R.J. does too but also has a much higher ceiling than Evans. I still think he is the closest I've seen to a young Kobe from a SG prospect I've seen in sometime.

Evans to me is an unpolished Big O without the BBIQ to really get past where his talent would take him. Evans, Waiters, Josh Selby, there was an entire class of these types around 10-15 years ago. Part of the And1 era.

[King Ken]

He's not guaranteed to be anything. That's just the archtype player I see him being in the NBA.

Except he is nothing like DeRozan mentality wise, skillwise aside from the fact he is Canadian and DeRozan spent years playing in Canada.

Except that I disagree. Mentality wise they play similarly. Neither has great court vision, can be a black hole offensively, like to score in the mid-range and around the basket, similar body types, etc.

If you disagree that's fine. But every time I watch Barrett that's exactly who I think of.

I mean, that's the 90's and early 2000's SG prototype. Rider, Kobe, McGrady, Finley, I mean damn, that was damn near ever good SG back in the days.

I don't see the comparisons at all. Mentality wise, R.J. is extremely aggressive and never backs down or sees a shot that's not a good shot, DeRozan is calculated, and rely on his post game and skill for everything. R.J. quicker at the same age, smarter at the same age, much better defender at the same age, ****, he is a better defender right now than DD. DD had a better frame to me. Broader shouders and even see it as he matured. He is a big SG. R.J. is just a lot more skilled at this stage. DD didn't have much skill at this age. He mainly depending on post game, slashing, drawing fouls and transition offense for buckets. R.J. gets it in anyway. Driving, shooting, catch and shoot, spot up, isolation, dribble drive, pull up, transition, drawing fouls. He is a complete offensive player at this age. DD never was that. Ever. The biggest difference is their athletic ability. R.J. is an excellent all around athlete. DD is mainly a jumper. Not quick or fast. Just explosive on the move and and can jump out of the gym.

For example:

The NBA Draft combine looks at three primary metrics for athleticism -- max vertical, lane agility, and a full-court sprint. Luckily, DraftExpress has a database of combine results dating back a decade for us to look at. Here's DeMar compared to some similar 2009 NBA Draft class draftees:

Player Vertical (in) Standing Vertical (in) Agility (s) Sprint (s)
DeMar DeRozan 38.5 29 11.88 3.31
Omri Casspi 32.5 25.5 11.15 3.28
James Johnson 35 30.5 11.21 3.23
Gerald Henderson 35 31.5 11.17 3.14
James Harden 37 31.5 11.10 3.13
And here are some other wing players with varying levels of athletic reputation:

Player Vertical (in) Standing Vertical (in) Agility (s) Sprint (s)
Terrence Ross 37.5 31 11.78 3.28
Otto Porter 36 27 11.25 3.40
Dwyane Wade 35 31.5 10.56 3.08
Gordon Hayward 34.5 30.5 11.73 3.22
Klay Thompson 31.5 26.5 10.99 3.24
Of the players listed above, DeRozan has by far the most impressive running vertical, but grades out poorly across the board. He has the worst lane agility and sprint speed, and a middle-of-the-pack standing vertical. In case anyone thinks there's a selection bias with the players I've chosen, there are plenty of big men from the 2009 draft who had better agility and sprint scores than DD: Taj Gibson, Dante Cunningham, Tyler Hansbrough, Earl Clark, Blake Griffin, and more. In fact, only four players at the entire combine had lower agility scores than DeRozan. Here's what NBADraft.net had to say about DeRozan's performance in 2009:

Demar Derozan is an elite jumper, not an elite athlete. His max vertical of 38.5" was good for 3rd best at the combine, but his bench press (5 reps), agility (11.88 – terrible for a wing), and sprint (3.31) left much to be desired.

It might seem odd to rehash all of these perceptions years later, but the interesting thing to me is that DeMar's reputation as an elite athlete persists to this day. Granted, combine numbers aren't always representative of a player's in-game performance. Jerry Rice notoriously ran a poor 40-yard dash, but ended up as the greatest wide receiver in NFL history.

The problem for DeRozan then, is that the eye test completely aligns with the idea that he lacks the requisite quickness, first-step and fluid mobility that all great athletes should have.
- https://www.raptorshq.com/2015/10/19/9504539/the-myth-of-demar-derozans-athleticism-toronto-raptors

Like I said, he's the closest player I've seen to Kobe. That doesn't mean he is Kobe. Doesn't mean he is as good at the same age or better. Just that he is the closest player I've seen to Kobe. I've seen Tatum who damn near copied Kobe like Rozier copied Jordan.

[Hoopz Afrik]

Anyone else get Corey Maggette vibes? At least stylistically, not necessarily career trajectory wise (although I don't think that notion is all too crazy either).

[Don7]

Well it's definitely Corey Maggette like painful to watch him get to 20.
Like he struggled against Princeton first half but he kept on attacking,bullying and finished with good line.

Maybe i am overrating the eye test when he steal is getting it done.