RJ Barrett

[clyde21]

I mean no he wouldnt because Virginia plays at a snail's pace.

I'm still undecided on Barrett. I've seen some flashes, but stylistically it's been rough. He's not going to be able to just out athlete NBA guys. His only real move right now is to go left and dip his shoulder and bang a little if you didnt create enough space.

I feel like we've seen enough freshman put up big numbers and disappoint in the NBA that we can add a little salt and look at the player/system they play in (where Barrett and Zion are the only scoring options). Im not going to just King Ken deify every highly touted freshman who puts on a Duke jersey.

snails pace or not his efficiency numbers would look more like Hunter's while at least posting similar box score metrics. Hunter finishes at a better rate at the rim but not because he's a better finisher than RJ but because he has more room to operate inside because of the aforementioned shooters.

I’m not so sure about that. Spacing doesn’t mean as much in college as it does in the NBA and you’re also taking away Barrett’s most efficient play type in transition. He also doesn’t really beat his man off the dribble much anyway. Maybe he’s more efficient playing offball with lower usage but playing in the same Duke system hasn’t really hurt Zions efficiency

i'm not sure what you mean by 'spacing doesn't mean much in college'...what is that even based on? of course spacing means something in college. it's one of the reasons why people here have been clamoring for Coach K to play Alex O'Connell because RJ and Zion are operating on almost zero spacing right now.

again, Hunter has a better finishing rate at the basket not because he's a better finisher than RJ but because he has more open lanes to the basket because he has two of the best shooters in all of college basketball spacing and opening lanes for him and others on that team, vs. the congested lanes that both RJ and Zion have to deal with on game to game basis. it's ESPECIALLY huge for a guy like RJ because his offensive game relies on driving to the basket.

[pelifan]

i'm not sure what you mean by 'spacing doesn't mean much in college'...what is that even based on? of course spacing means something in college. it's one of the reasons why people here have been clamoring for Coach K to play Alex O'Connell because RJ and Zion are operating on almost zero spacing right now.

again, Hunter has a better finishing rate at the basket not because he's a better finisher than RJ but because he has more open lanes to the basket because he has two of the best shooters in all of college basketball spacing and opening lanes for him and others on that team, vs. the congested lanes that both RJ and Zion have to deal with on game to game basis.

the college 3 point line is closer and the shooters arent as good. even against good 3 point shooting teams the paint is pretty packed. Helps that theres no defensive 3 in the key. Im not saying its meaningless, just that it isnt even close to the same in importance as it is in the NBA.

your anecdotal evidence that Hunter has more open driving lanes and that explains the finishing around the rim gap is just not good enough for me. Because again, Zion's efficiency is more than fine. And transition is where Barrett gets all of his positive efficiency from.

[clyde21]

i'm not sure what you mean by 'spacing doesn't mean much in college'...what is that even based on? of course spacing means something in college. it's one of the reasons why people here have been clamoring for Coach K to play Alex O'Connell because RJ and Zion are operating on almost zero spacing right now.

again, Hunter has a better finishing rate at the basket not because he's a better finisher than RJ but because he has more open lanes to the basket because he has two of the best shooters in all of college basketball spacing and opening lanes for him and others on that team, vs. the congested lanes that both RJ and Zion have to deal with on game to game basis.

the college 3 point line is closer and the shooters arent as good. even against good 3 point shooting teams the paint is pretty packed. Helps that theres no defensive 3 in the key. Im not saying its meaningless, just that it isnt even close to the same in importance as it is in the NBA.

your anecdotal evidence that Hunter has more open driving lanes and that explains the finishing around the rim gap is just not good enough for me. Because again, Zion's efficiency is more than fine. And transition is where Barrett gets all of his positive efficiency from.

the fact that the college 3 is even closer is more a reason why lanes to the basket are insanely congested on that level, which makes it even more important for guys like RJ and Zion to be surrounded by shooters because it literally makes what they do best that much easier. again, it's why many here have been clamoring for K to play O'Donnell more.

furthermore, on top of the no shooters, teams are even clogging the lanes even MORE b/c of Zion which inversely affects' RJ's efficiency considerably (RJ's FG% went from 45% to almost 50% in the 6 games Zion missed, for example).

and Zion's efficiency is irrelevant to the RJ discussion. for starters, Zion is an unstoppable force even when teams are clogging the lane against him and two, as good as Zion's efficiency is, it too will be better playing with shooters.

this honestly kind of a weird argument. you're essentially saying that shooters who space are irrelevant to players who like to attack the basket. it's a completely illogical argument you're making here.

[pelifan]

i'm not sure what you mean by 'spacing doesn't mean much in college'...what is that even based on? of course spacing means something in college. it's one of the reasons why people here have been clamoring for Coach K to play Alex O'Connell because RJ and Zion are operating on almost zero spacing right now.

again, Hunter has a better finishing rate at the basket not because he's a better finisher than RJ but because he has more open lanes to the basket because he has two of the best shooters in all of college basketball spacing and opening lanes for him and others on that team, vs. the congested lanes that both RJ and Zion have to deal with on game to game basis.

the college 3 point line is closer and the shooters arent as good. even against good 3 point shooting teams the paint is pretty packed. Helps that theres no defensive 3 in the key. Im not saying its meaningless, just that it isnt even close to the same in importance as it is in the NBA.

your anecdotal evidence that Hunter has more open driving lanes and that explains the finishing around the rim gap is just not good enough for me. Because again, Zion's efficiency is more than fine. And transition is where Barrett gets all of his positive efficiency from.

the fact that the college 3 is even closer is more a reason why lanes to the basket are insanely congested on that level, which makes it even more important for guys like RJ and Zion to be surrounded by shooters because it literally makes what they do best that much easier. again, it's why many here have been clamoring for K to play O'Donnell more.

furthermore, on top of the no shooters, teams are even clogging the lanes even MORE b/c of Zion which inversely affects' RJ's efficiency considerably (RJ's FG% went from 45% to almost 50% in the 6 games Zion missed, for example).

and Zion's efficiency is irrelevant to the RJ discussion. for starters, Zion is an unstoppable force even when teams are clogging the lane against him and two, as good as Zion's efficiency is, it too will be better playing with shooters.

this honestly kind of a weird argument. you're essentially saying that shooters who space are irrelevant to players who like to attack the basket. it's a completely illogical argument you're making here.

no it really isnt illogical at all.

Open driving lanes dont really exist in college. Go look at how the paint looks versus a good 3 point college team it really isnt a ton different. Would shooters help Barrett, sure. Would a few shooters massively help Barrett to where his efficiency would reach DeAndre Hunter's numbers, god no. Theres just no way you can replicate NBA spacing with college players. The paint is always going to be congested in the halfcourt and for that matter Barrett is not beating the first guy off the dribble anyway as much as he is running over them.

but yea I think it's hilarious that some around here think they can question Coach K's coaching decisions...

[clyde21]

the college 3 point line is closer and the shooters arent as good. even against good 3 point shooting teams the paint is pretty packed. Helps that theres no defensive 3 in the key. Im not saying its meaningless, just that it isnt even close to the same in importance as it is in the NBA.

your anecdotal evidence that Hunter has more open driving lanes and that explains the finishing around the rim gap is just not good enough for me. Because again, Zion's efficiency is more than fine. And transition is where Barrett gets all of his positive efficiency from.

the fact that the college 3 is even closer is more a reason why lanes to the basket are insanely congested on that level, which makes it even more important for guys like RJ and Zion to be surrounded by shooters because it literally makes what they do best that much easier. again, it's why many here have been clamoring for K to play O'Donnell more.

furthermore, on top of the no shooters, teams are even clogging the lanes even MORE b/c of Zion which inversely affects' RJ's efficiency considerably (RJ's FG% went from 45% to almost 50% in the 6 games Zion missed, for example).

and Zion's efficiency is irrelevant to the RJ discussion. for starters, Zion is an unstoppable force even when teams are clogging the lane against him and two, as good as Zion's efficiency is, it too will be better playing with shooters.

this honestly kind of a weird argument. you're essentially saying that shooters who space are irrelevant to players who like to attack the basket. it's a completely illogical argument you're making here.

no it really isnt illogical at all.

Open driving lanes dont really exist in college. Go look at how the paint looks versus a good 3 point college team it really isnt a ton different. Would shooters help Barrett, sure. Would a few shooters massively help Barrett to where his efficiency would reach DeAndre Hunter's numbers, god no. Theres just no way you can replicate NBA spacing with college players. The paint is always going to be congested in the halfcourt and for that matter Barrett is not beating the first guy off the dribble anyway as much as he is running over them.

but yea I think it's hilarious that some around here think they can question Coach K's coaching decisions...

now no one can question Coach K's decisions because he's Coach K? laughable. dude's been on cruise control now for like 10 years, makes TERRIBLE in-game adjustments (which he never does, actually) and defensively his schemes are garbage. he's literally getting by just on talent, not anything he's doing from a coaching or schematic standpoint.

and the idea that 'open driving lanes don't exist in college' is only true for teams that have no shooting on the court...i.e. Duke which is exactly my point. but you're moving the goalposts now, but this isn't an argument of whether 'open lanes don't exist in college' this is an argument of whether shooting would help RJ's efficiency...which it INDISPUTABLY would and that fact that you're arguing against is absolutely insane.

and maybe you should actually watch a couple of Virginia's games, because lanes to basket actually do exist thanks to Jerome's and Guy's shooting.

[doordoor123]

the fact that the college 3 is even closer is more a reason why lanes to the basket are insanely congested on that level, which makes it even more important for guys like RJ and Zion to be surrounded by shooters because it literally makes what they do best that much easier. again, it's why many here have been clamoring for K to play O'Donnell more.

furthermore, on top of the no shooters, teams are even clogging the lanes even MORE b/c of Zion which inversely affects' RJ's efficiency considerably (RJ's FG% went from 45% to almost 50% in the 6 games Zion missed, for example).

and Zion's efficiency is irrelevant to the RJ discussion. for starters, Zion is an unstoppable force even when teams are clogging the lane against him and two, as good as Zion's efficiency is, it too will be better playing with shooters.

this honestly kind of a weird argument. you're essentially saying that shooters who space are irrelevant to players who like to attack the basket. it's a completely illogical argument you're making here.

no it really isnt illogical at all.

Open driving lanes dont really exist in college. Go look at how the paint looks versus a good 3 point college team it really isnt a ton different. Would shooters help Barrett, sure. Would a few shooters massively help Barrett to where his efficiency would reach DeAndre Hunter's numbers, god no. Theres just no way you can replicate NBA spacing with college players. The paint is always going to be congested in the halfcourt and for that matter Barrett is not beating the first guy off the dribble anyway as much as he is running over them.

but yea I think it's hilarious that some around here think they can question Coach K's coaching decisions...

you're arguments keep getting worse with every post so I suggest maybe you need to go chill out for a bit? now no one can question Coach K's decisions because he's Coach K? laughable. dude's been on cruise control now for like 10 years, makes TERRIBLE in-game adjustments (which he never does, actually) and defensively his schemes are garbage. he's literally getting by just on talent, not anything he's doing from a coaching or schematic standpoint.

and the idea that 'open driving lanes don't exist in college' is only true for teams that have no shooting on the court...i.e. Duke which is exactly my point. but you're moving the goalposts now, but this isn't an argument of whether 'open lanes don't exist in college' this is an argument of whether shooting would help RJ's efficiency...which it INDISPUTABLY would and that fact that you're arguing against is absolutely insane.

and maybe you should actually watch a couple of Virginia's games, because lanes to basket actually do exist thanks to Jerome's and Guy's shooting.

I didn’t read the comments down the chain, but Inresd the last two and there is definitely a huge difference in college and in the NBA. I’ve said this multiple times over the years and currently. There’s a big difference in running in the lane in college in the NBA, there’s more space, less defense in the NBA plus there’s a 3 second rule where a center can’t just stand in the middle waiting for players to drive. There is also less help in the NBA because the space is wider with more shooters. In college the paint is packed with players and it’s not only because of shooters. And by the way, even the difference between NBA shooters and college shooters is huge. NBA shooters step out beyond their 3 pt line, college shooters that do that are shooting NBA 3s, and most of them shoot right at the line anyway. Guys like Donovan Mitchell are doing much better in the NBA because of that space in the paint to drive. In the NBA a player has to drive a lot farther to get to the basket, which is why guys like D’Angelo Russell were able to drive a lot in college, but in the NBA hes had to become a pull-up player. Also don’t discount that NBA defenders are much more skilled (even the bad ones have experience) they’re longer and more athletic. Any argument against this is nonsense.

[pelifan]

the fact that the college 3 is even closer is more a reason why lanes to the basket are insanely congested on that level, which makes it even more important for guys like RJ and Zion to be surrounded by shooters because it literally makes what they do best that much easier. again, it's why many here have been clamoring for K to play O'Donnell more.

furthermore, on top of the no shooters, teams are even clogging the lanes even MORE b/c of Zion which inversely affects' RJ's efficiency considerably (RJ's FG% went from 45% to almost 50% in the 6 games Zion missed, for example).

and Zion's efficiency is irrelevant to the RJ discussion. for starters, Zion is an unstoppable force even when teams are clogging the lane against him and two, as good as Zion's efficiency is, it too will be better playing with shooters.

this honestly kind of a weird argument. you're essentially saying that shooters who space are irrelevant to players who like to attack the basket. it's a completely illogical argument you're making here.

no it really isnt illogical at all.

Open driving lanes dont really exist in college. Go look at how the paint looks versus a good 3 point college team it really isnt a ton different. Would shooters help Barrett, sure. Would a few shooters massively help Barrett to where his efficiency would reach DeAndre Hunter's numbers, god no. Theres just no way you can replicate NBA spacing with college players. The paint is always going to be congested in the halfcourt and for that matter Barrett is not beating the first guy off the dribble anyway as much as he is running over them.

but yea I think it's hilarious that some around here think they can question Coach K's coaching decisions...

now no one can question Coach K's decisions because he's Coach K? laughable. dude's been on cruise control now for like 10 years, makes TERRIBLE in-game adjustments (which he never does, actually) and defensively his schemes are garbage. he's literally getting by just on talent, not anything he's doing from a coaching or schematic standpoint.

and the idea that 'open driving lanes don't exist in college' is only true for teams that have no shooting on the court...i.e. Duke which is exactly my point. but you're moving the goalposts now, but this isn't an argument of whether 'open lanes don't exist in college' this is an argument of whether shooting would help RJ's efficiency...which it INDISPUTABLY would and that fact that you're arguing against is absolutely insane.

and maybe you should actually watch a couple of Virginia's games, because lanes to basket actually do exist thanks to Jerome's and Guy's shooting.

I didnt say it wouldnt help Clyde, just that you're overstating its impact, I dont see how that's unreasonable at all. I'm not even arguing that NBA spacing wont drastically help Barrett, just that no amount of college spacing is going to turn a player with his play-style into an ultra efficient scorer as a college freshman and that there's tons of tradeoff in switching him to a team like Virginia. Also K knows more about basketball than everyone here combined even if his coaching has slipped some. I think it's funny that you're telling me to chill out before editing your post though because as far as I can tell you are the one throwing the fit. Especially with comments like you need to watch basketball.

[clyde21]

no it really isnt illogical at all.

Open driving lanes dont really exist in college. Go look at how the paint looks versus a good 3 point college team it really isnt a ton different. Would shooters help Barrett, sure. Would a few shooters massively help Barrett to where his efficiency would reach DeAndre Hunter's numbers, god no. Theres just no way you can replicate NBA spacing with college players. The paint is always going to be congested in the halfcourt and for that matter Barrett is not beating the first guy off the dribble anyway as much as he is running over them.

but yea I think it's hilarious that some around here think they can question Coach K's coaching decisions...

now no one can question Coach K's decisions because he's Coach K? laughable. dude's been on cruise control now for like 10 years, makes TERRIBLE in-game adjustments (which he never does, actually) and defensively his schemes are garbage. he's literally getting by just on talent, not anything he's doing from a coaching or schematic standpoint.

and the idea that 'open driving lanes don't exist in college' is only true for teams that have no shooting on the court...i.e. Duke which is exactly my point. but you're moving the goalposts now, but this isn't an argument of whether 'open lanes don't exist in college' this is an argument of whether shooting would help RJ's efficiency...which it INDISPUTABLY would and that fact that you're arguing against is absolutely insane.

and maybe you should actually watch a couple of Virginia's games, because lanes to basket actually do exist thanks to Jerome's and Guy's shooting.

I didnt say it wouldnt help Clyde, just that you're overstating its impact, I dont see how that's unreasonable at all. I'm not even arguing that NBA spacing wont drastically help Barrett, just that no amount of college spacing is going to turn a player with his play-style into an ultra efficient scorer as a college freshman and that there's tons of tradeoff in switching him to a team like Virginia. Also K knows more about basketball than everyone here combined even if his coaching has slipped some. I think it's funny that you're telling me to chill out before editing your post though because as far as I can tell you are the one throwing the fit. Especially with comments like you need to watch basketball.

i didn't say you need to watch basketball, I said you need to watch Virginia. if you don't think Guy and Jerome are spacing the floor for their teammates I don't know what to tell you.

and what did I say that was 'overstated'...all I said was that RJ's numbers would look better on a team with more spacing, and used Virginia/Hunter as an example. This is kind of indisputable for a player who's entire offensive game is based on attacking the lanes. You disagreed. That's what this conversation is about.

why do you think RJ's FG% went from 45% to 50% when Zion was injured?

[Nazrmohamed]

- Jarrett Culver being 2 years older than Barrett is not a problem to me. 20 years old for Culver is still damn young.

- So people watch Duke more. Of course, it's Duke. RJ Barrett knew what he was doing when he chose to go there. He wanted to play with Zion and Cam Reddish and be seen. It was on purpose. He knew he was gonna be scrutinized.

- Yes, Culver has had crap games. Of course, he IS the best player on Texas Tech. He doesn't have Zion and Cam Reddish. Opposing teams keyed in on Culver. Culver's situation at Texas Tech is similar to what Ja Morant is in right now with Murray State where their teammates are not NBA prospects. Morant's teammate, Shaq Buchanan, might be a late 2nd rounder though. I mean, he is OVC's Defensive Player of the Year. Buchanan earned a look.

What is RJ Barrett's excuse? None. He has Zion and Reddish. His other teammates are not slouches either. He shouldn't be having way too many bad games. And why? RJ purposely chose to chuck shots and be the Man.

-Culver has a post up fade away. He even has the MJ/Kobe footwork to go with that. I was shocked to see that. That's a Hall of Fame move. He also has pull up jump shot and he's the better defender. Barrett doesn't have that stuff. Culver can be a perennial All Star if he can get proficient with that fade away.

1) Zion
2) Ja
3) Jarrett Culver

Those are my rankings for now. RJ Barrett is not coming back into my Top 3. He can stay on yours. That's cool. I'm not here to persuade anyone. I just know what I'm seeing.

You didnt really prove that Culver is better so much as you proved the reasons why Culver might be a hater. Look, if you dont wanna pick in the top 3 and rather get the best pick 5 in the draft be my guest but there arent 3 players better in this draft than RJ.

I'd almost rather you argue with the weakness of this draft than spin Culver as a better player. Cmon with that. I will say Culver is a better shooter though.

I don't have to prove anything to you. You can watch the games and see stats for yourself on basketball reference and Youtube. Like I said, RJ can stay on your Top 3. There is nothing wrong with that. However, there is plenty of wrongs for me though. I don't have RJ there and I already kicked him down to pick 6. Culver is the superior defender, better ISO game and a post up fade away; 3 things that RJ simply doesn't have. It's all there on the Youtube videos.

I hands down take RJ Barrett over Garland though all day. Garland is the true overrated player in this draft. It's unbelievable.

What do you think about Kevin Porter Jr? Itll be interesting to see how Culver measures out though. If hes more 6'7 than 6'5 let's bump this conversation and see how I feel after combine

[The Box Office]

You didnt really prove that Culver is better so much as you proved the reasons why Culver might be a hater. Look, if you dont wanna pick in the top 3 and rather get the best pick 5 in the draft be my guest but there arent 3 players better in this draft than RJ.

I'd almost rather you argue with the weakness of this draft than spin Culver as a better player. Cmon with that. I will say Culver is a better shooter though.

I don't have to prove anything to you. You can watch the games and see stats for yourself on basketball reference and Youtube. Like I said, RJ can stay on your Top 3. There is nothing wrong with that. However, there is plenty of wrongs for me though. I don't have RJ there and I already kicked him down to pick 6. Culver is the superior defender, better ISO game and a post up fade away; 3 things that RJ simply doesn't have. It's all there on the Youtube videos.

I hands down take RJ Barrett over Garland though all day. Garland is the true overrated player in this draft. It's unbelievable.

What do you think about Kevin Porter Jr? Itll be interesting to see how Culver measures out though. If hes more 6'7 than 6'5 let's bump this conversation and see how I feel after combine

I have a low opinion of Kevin Porter Jr's basketball skills. He's a late 1st rounder/early 2nd round prospect. I easily take Romeo Langford, Nassir Little, and Nickeil Alexander Walker over him. Kevin Porter Jr. doesn't impress me one bit. Looks like a bench player in the NBA if he's lucky to hang around.

[doordoor123]

I don't have to prove anything to you. You can watch the games and see stats for yourself on basketball reference and Youtube. Like I said, RJ can stay on your Top 3. There is nothing wrong with that. However, there is plenty of wrongs for me though. I don't have RJ there and I already kicked him down to pick 6. Culver is the superior defender, better ISO game and a post up fade away; 3 things that RJ simply doesn't have. It's all there on the Youtube videos.

I hands down take RJ Barrett over Garland though all day. Garland is the true overrated player in this draft. It's unbelievable.

What do you think about Kevin Porter Jr? Itll be interesting to see how Culver measures out though. If hes more 6'7 than 6'5 let's bump this conversation and see how I feel after combine

I have a low opinion of Kevin Porter Jr's basketball skills. He's a late 1st rounder/early 2nd round prospect. I easily take Romeo Langford, Nassir Little, and Nickeil Alexander Walker over him. Kevin Porter Jr. doesn't impress me one bit. Looks like a bench player in the NBA if he's lucky to hang around.

I’m making my mock and I just wrote a piece about him. I actually think he’s underrated. When drafting I think it’s important to draft for offense because teams looking for defense specifically in the lottery can tend to lead to busts or at least underwhelming players. I watch every USC game so I’ve seen him quite a bit and honestly at first I was super high on him, but his attitude toward the coaches threw me off. When he attacks the basket he’s unstoppable because he knows how to get space off the dribble. He needs to adjust his shot a little and I think he’ll be alright on defense (I like that he tries to chase down guys in transition). But he has huge hands, a super soft touch and probably some of the most advanced moves in class. He’s a little selfish and I think he needs the perfect kind of coach because I’m afraid he’s a little bit of a diva. But next to the top 3 players he has the most offensive upside. He can attack guys one on one and has a super explosive first step, he’s super twitchy when he wants to be, he gets so much space off of his jump steps and step backs and he’s super athletic. If he was more of a team player USC would have won more and we would be talking about him as a top 5 pick. I think during the draft process he’s going to be a big riser. And seeing him live he looks closer to 6’7, he’s huge. Has an NBA body right away.

[The Box Office]

What do you think about Kevin Porter Jr? Itll be interesting to see how Culver measures out though. If hes more 6'7 than 6'5 let's bump this conversation and see how I feel after combine

I have a low opinion of Kevin Porter Jr's basketball skills. He's a late 1st rounder/early 2nd round prospect. I easily take Romeo Langford, Nassir Little, and Nickeil Alexander Walker over him. Kevin Porter Jr. doesn't impress me one bit. Looks like a bench player in the NBA if he's lucky to hang around.

I’m making my mock and I just wrote a piece about him. I actually think he’s underrated. When drafting I think it’s important to draft for offense because teams looking for defense specifically in the lottery can tend to lead to busts or at least underwhelming players. I watch every USC game so I’ve seen him quite a bit and honestly at first I was super high on him, but his attitude toward the coaches threw me off. When he attacks the basket he’s unstoppable because he knows how to get space off the dribble. He needs to adjust his shot a little and I think he’ll be alright on defense (I like that he tries to chase down guys in transition). But he has huge hands, a super soft touch and probably some of the most advanced moves in class. He’s a little selfish and I think he needs the perfect kind of coach because I’m afraid he’s a little bit of a diva. But next to the top 3 players he has the most offensive upside. He can attack guys one on one and has a super explosive first step, he’s super twitchy when he wants to be, he gets so much space off of his jump steps and step backs and he’s super athletic. If he was more of a team player USC would have won more and we would be talking about him as a top 5 pick. I think during the draft process he’s going to be a big riser. And seeing him live he looks closer to 6’7, he’s huge. Has an NBA body right away.

Cool. Seems like a 6th man gunner if he pans out. I don't see Top 5 skills with the kid. Good luck.

[doordoor123]

I have a low opinion of Kevin Porter Jr's basketball skills. He's a late 1st rounder/early 2nd round prospect. I easily take Romeo Langford, Nassir Little, and Nickeil Alexander Walker over him. Kevin Porter Jr. doesn't impress me one bit. Looks like a bench player in the NBA if he's lucky to hang around.

I’m making my mock and I just wrote a piece about him. I actually think he’s underrated. When drafting I think it’s important to draft for offense because teams looking for defense specifically in the lottery can tend to lead to busts or at least underwhelming players. I watch every USC game so I’ve seen him quite a bit and honestly at first I was super high on him, but his attitude toward the coaches threw me off. When he attacks the basket he’s unstoppable because he knows how to get space off the dribble. He needs to adjust his shot a little and I think he’ll be alright on defense (I like that he tries to chase down guys in transition). But he has huge hands, a super soft touch and probably some of the most advanced moves in class. He’s a little selfish and I think he needs the perfect kind of coach because I’m afraid he’s a little bit of a diva. But next to the top 3 players he has the most offensive upside. He can attack guys one on one and has a super explosive first step, he’s super twitchy when he wants to be, he gets so much space off of his jump steps and step backs and he’s super athletic. If he was more of a team player USC would have won more and we would be talking about him as a top 5 pick. I think during the draft process he’s going to be a big riser. And seeing him live he looks closer to 6’7, he’s huge. Has an NBA body right away.

Cool. Seems like a 6th man gunner if he pans out. I don't see Top 5 skills with the kid. Good luck.

Gunner? What makes you think he’s a gunner? And what makes you think a super young player with great size and skill doesn’t have at least starting level talent?

[No-Man]

I somehow believe that RJ would improve and really get better at what he is rough around the edges, that probably still doesn't get him to elite status, but with his pedigree/name recog, he is worth a high pick on trade value alone almost

[doordoor123]

I somehow believe that RJ would improve and really get better at what he is rough around the edges, that probably still doesn't get him to elite status, but with his pedigree/name recog, he is worth a high pick on trade value alone almost

The difference for him is his three point shot. It hasn’t improved since high school and in the NBA with 82 games it’s going to be even lower than 30%. That’s not good. If he can become even a 34% three point shooter it would make a big difference on his game and raise what his upside might be.

[HeadtopChunes]

I somehow believe that RJ would improve and really get better at what he is rough around the edges, that probably still doesn't get him to elite status, but with his pedigree/name recog, he is worth a high pick on trade value alone almost

The difference for him is his three point shot. It hasn’t improved since high school and in the NBA with 82 games it’s going to be even lower than 30%. That’s not good. If he can become even a 34% three point shooter it would make a big difference on his game and raise what his upside might be.

I agree with this, his upside depends on how much he can improve his jumper (especially off-the-dribble) and his handles.

It's weird since his jump shot form looks pretty good to me, reminds me of De'Aaron Fox who also had good form but his shot just wouldn't fall.

Maybe Barrett can follow the same path to jump shot improvement Fox has.

[HeadtopChunes]

Rjs defense is what disappoints the most this year. I thought he could grow into a Jimmy Butler type player in the summer but the defensive intensity just isn't there even if the tools are.

[coldfish]

Last night, VT was running the usual zone against Duke. RJ would get it on the wing and two guys would come up to him. He looked positively befuddled. He would either try to run right into them or reluctantly swing it. Same thing, over and over. VT was daring Tre to beat them and to his credit, he did several times but overall the swing pass wasn't even well executed.

When Ja was getting doubled, he was putting on a clinic. He would use his dribble to slide the defense out of position and create openings for his teammates.

Really stark difference in basketball IQ. As a Bulls fan, I would certainly root for RJ and hope for the best if we got him but sheesh, the bust probability is high. I'm not sure how he fits in Chicago at all.

[The-Power]

Still a bit on the fence with Barrett. His primary appeal comes from being a scoring wing who can also create for others. But if you can't score at an elite level – and thus far he hasn't been able to do that – then that's a problem. That means you have to compensate for that, but with what? Poor shooting, insufficient off-ball play, pedestrian defense.

Combine that with the mentality of an alpha-scorer and I foresee issues. That mentality is only great when you can justify being one, and I doubt he can. He's clearly talented, so at some point you have to roll the dice on him. Yet there's some risk, imo, that this could lead to another Josh Jackson situation – and that's a problem.

[Bank Shot]

If RJ was intentionally trying to make Duke lose he wouldn't have played that final minute against MSU any differently than he did.