Rowan Barrett Jr., best 16 years old player in the World

[Duke4life831]

Is he similar to Ben Simmons? Big guy for his position, also a lefty, elite passing? How do they compare?

Ben's a PF (albeit point-forward), Barrett seems like a more conventional wing prospect. Barrett's a good passer but it's not on a prolific level like Simmons, and Barretts got a jumper and generally just more advanced scoring game. I don't think there's much of a comparison there other than that they're both great prospects.

Ya two very different styles in my opinion. If anything and this is not supposed to be a put down to Barrett, I think Barrett is going to be what so many thought Shabazz was going to be when he was #1 in his class. Once Shabazz got to UCLA, it became pretty clear he was closer to 6'5 than he was actually 6'7 and it became pretty clear he didnt have the athleticism and agility to be a star.

Barrett on the other hand does look like he has the athleticism to translate and I think hes already 6'6 and wouldnt be surprised if he does end up a legit 6'7 by the time he hits the league.

[jonjames]

Is he similar to Ben Simmons? Big guy for his position, also a lefty, elite passing? How do they compare?

Ben's a PF (albeit point-forward), Barrett seems like a more conventional wing prospect. Barrett's a good passer but it's not on a prolific level like Simmons, and Barretts got a jumper and generally just more advanced scoring game. I don't think there's much of a comparison there other than that they're both great prospects.

Ya two very different styles in my opinion. If anything and this is not supposed to be a put down to Barrett, I think Barrett is going to be what so many thought Shabazz was going to be when he was #1 in his class. Once Shabazz got to UCLA, it became pretty clear he was closer to 6'5 than he was actually 6'7 and it became pretty clear he didnt have the athleticism and agility to be a star.

Barrett on the other hand does look like he has the athleticism to translate and I think hes already 6'6 and wouldnt be surprised if he does end up a legit 6'7 by the time he hits the league.

Was athleticism really an issue for bazz tho? Bazz was also 6'6 with a near 7ft wingspan. He had more of power guard game like bonzi wells than outside wing. He looked more athletic in highschool than barrett does right now.

[Duke4life831]

Ben's a PF (albeit point-forward), Barrett seems like a more conventional wing prospect. Barrett's a good passer but it's not on a prolific level like Simmons, and Barretts got a jumper and generally just more advanced scoring game. I don't think there's much of a comparison there other than that they're both great prospects.

Ya two very different styles in my opinion. If anything and this is not supposed to be a put down to Barrett, I think Barrett is going to be what so many thought Shabazz was going to be when he was #1 in his class. Once Shabazz got to UCLA, it became pretty clear he was closer to 6'5 than he was actually 6'7 and it became pretty clear he didnt have the athleticism and agility to be a star.

Barrett on the other hand does look like he has the athleticism to translate and I think hes already 6'6 and wouldnt be surprised if he does end up a legit 6'7 by the time he hits the league.

Was athleticism really an issue for bazz tho? Bazz was also 6'6 with a near 7ft wingspan. He had more of power guard game like bonzi wells than outside wing. He looked more athletic in highschool than barrett does right now.

Laterally to me it was. Bazz is a good leaper but I dont think he was nearly as agile as Barrett looks right now. I agree he had more of a power guard game to him while Barrett looks more agile to me.

[mojo13]

Wasn't the knock on Shabazz that he was essentially 1-2 years older than the kids he was playing against in his highschool and AAU career? That his Dad was lying about his age the entire time and it didn't really come out until the draft (or just after)? His game seemed predicated on being bigger, stronger than those younger kids he was up against and that obviously hasn't translated into the NBA.

RJ has mostly been playing up his entire AAU, Highschool and FIBA career - playing against and dominating kids 2-3 years OLDER than him. Big difference here.

Also I think its the total package that makes RJ so interesting - his elite defense, play making and IQ separate him as a prospect and are things I certainly don't recall Shabazz being known for.

[Lalouie]

Most top prospects fall well short of the hype, not just those from Canada. That's because there's not one direction to go when you're considered a surefire superstar. Barnes,Mohammed, Randle, Parker, Okafor and Skai all fell varying degrees as well.

I love how you bundled Parker and Okafor together with Barnes, Shabazz and Randle. Okafor and Parker performed in college and are some of the better younger prospect. Okafor is the most underrated player in the league. Parker is the best prospect in his class. Clear agenda there.

Randle's development has stagnated in the NBA, but he was a solid college player. Barnes and Shabazz are massive busts relative to their high school ranking and NBA performances.

Regardless, you point is true. When you are the top, there is only one direction to go.

Massive busts relative to their high school rankings? Barnes just got 94 million and Shabazz is going to get paid as well. I think we need to re-calibrate the word bust as it relates to high school. Just because you're a top 5 HS player doesn't mean you will make the NBA or even be an NBA all-star. You still need size, speed, skills and the right measurables.

Usually when we describe busts, we describe where a player was selected in the draft. Not where they were ranked in HS.

yeah wait until players catch up to his size

[Lalouie]

xavier henry anyone?

[akhan786]

I love how you bundled Parker and Okafor together with Barnes, Shabazz and Randle. Okafor and Parker performed in college and are some of the better younger prospect. Okafor is the most underrated player in the league. Parker is the best prospect in his class. Clear agenda there.

Randle's development has stagnated in the NBA, but he was a solid college player. Barnes and Shabazz are massive busts relative to their high school ranking and NBA performances.

Regardless, you point is true. When you are the top, there is only one direction to go.

Compared to his high school hype yeah but compared to his draft position Barnes has been well worth the 7th pick. Certainly a much better player than Okafor.

Okafor is the most mistreated and most demonized young prospect in the league. In his rookie year, he put up 18/8 with no point guard while being double teamed every single game, including his first possession in his first game. In his second year, he was set aside in favor of Embiid.

Once Okafor gets his release from the 76ers, he will become a star. I really hope the 76ers don't extend Okafor his QO. The 76ers fan-base harbors an unjustified and vitriolic hatred toward him.

Fun fact: People like to ding Okafor for not playing defense, but statistically according to both Synergy camera stats and RPM stats, he is a more effective defender than Towns. Towns is actually statistically the worst defender in the league at the center position.

I hate Philly fans for this reason. I really feel like going to Philly has stunted Okafor's growth and he wants the hell out of there as soon as his contract is up. I really hope he can salvage his talent once he leaves, because he is one of the best low-post prospects in a decade. Yes the game has moved from that, but I refuse to believe that you can't take advantage of such a talent somehow.

[Justwar]

Jahlil cannot guard in a pick n roll so he's basically a poor man's Enes Kanter except less athleticism

[akhan786]

Jahlil cannot guard in a pick n roll so he's basically a poor man's Enes Kanter except less athleticism

Are players incapable of improving in the right environment?

[13th Man]

I believe he's only 6'6 without shoes but if he grows to be 6'9 by the time he reaches the NBA, watch out! There aren't many guys that size with his versatility. He's way more versatile than Harrison Barnes imo, he has the potential to be Lebron-lite with his court IQ and good all around game.

[JustMagic]

I believe he's only 6'6 without shoes but if he grows to be 6'9 by the time he reaches the NBA, watch out! There aren't many guys that size with his versatility. He's way more versatile than Harrison Barnes imo, he has the potential to be Lebron-lite with his court IQ and good all around game.

and if he grows to 7'5 than the NBA should REALY watch out!

Most people don't grow after 16. some (maybe 5%) reach their max height at 13-14, and some (also maybe 5%) grow until 20-21, but the rest don't grow after 16-17.
I mean, we could say if and if and if... etc... but its probably not gonna happen.

Wiggins was 6'6 at 13, so?

[Stackey]

Barrett's wingspan is 6'10'', that's more important.

[13th Man]

I believe he's only 6'6 without shoes but if he grows to be 6'9 by the time he reaches the NBA, watch out! There aren't many guys that size with his versatility. He's way more versatile than Harrison Barnes imo, he has the potential to be Lebron-lite with his court IQ and good all around game.

and if he grows to 7'5 than the NBA should REALY watch out!

Most people don't grow after 16. some (maybe 5%) reach their max height at 13-14, and some (also maybe 5%) grow until 20-21, but the rest don't grow after 16-17.
I mean, we could say if and if and if... etc... but its probably not gonna happen.

Wiggins was 6'6 at 13, so?

C'mon, its not uncommon for kids to grow an extra 2-3 inches in height after the age of 16-17. Lebron was 6'5 in his junior year, he's grown a good 3 inches since then.

Barret is going into his Jr. year at 6'6. How does saying he might reach 6'9 in the same stratosphere as reaching 7'5? Ridiculous.

[JustMagic]

Well obviously I exaggerated, but it's a common mistake here - to say about almost every 16-17 y/o that they will grow 2-3 inches.
Maybe Barrett will be 6-8 in the NBA, but not because of some growth.
I mean, there's allways a probability, but it's unlikely.

BTW - I remeber LeBron was 6-7 when all the major hype began. not 6-5.
Here they talk about him as a sophomore 6-6:

Watch on YouTube

Also, Lebron was younger for his class, not by much, but younger.

[Worst_to_First]

Okafor is the most mistreated and most demonized young prospect in the league. In his rookie year, he put up 18/8 with no point guard while being double teamed every single game, including his first possession in his first game. In his second year, he was set aside in favor of Embiid.

Once Okafor gets his release from the 76ers, he will become a star. I really hope the 76ers don't extend Okafor his QO. The 76ers fan-base harbors an unjustified and vitriolic hatred toward him.

Fun fact: People like to ding Okafor for not playing defense, but statistically according to both Synergy camera stats and RPM stats, he is a more effective defender than Towns. Towns is actually statistically the worst defender in the league at the center position.

I'm really hoping you're not trying to use this as a legitimate argument. That's a one way ticket to losing any credibility you may have had. Okafor is without question the worst defensive big in the NBA.

That is your unsubstantiated opinion. There is actual stats indicating that Towns is by far the worst.

I am a huge fan of the Big KAT and sides greatly with him in debates back in 2015 pitting him against Okafor.

That being said I was unpleasantly surprised on how bad his defense turned out to be. There was barely any post presence felt by the opposition in the games I saw him manning the paint.

Still a great player regardless and an offensive juggernaut.

[DirtyDez]

Read on Twitter

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fscout.com%2Fcollege%2Farizona%2FBoard%2F102968%2FContents%2FThis-weeks-AR-106268422

I have a hard time believing Kentucky won't be right there in the end. It would help Arizona's chances if Reddish goes to Duke and Zion to UK. Barrett and Akot are tight apparently.

[WinterSoldier]

The more I watch of him the more he reminds me of a young Igoudola. If he can fix his shot he might even be better than Iggy.

[Nazrmohamed]

Well hes got great go to skills from what I saw. Can attack the basket, pull ups, set shots. I didnt see much off the ball game and the biggest flaw I saw is hes definitely not a passer. Multiple times a guy wide open in the corner but then again, his game was lethal maybe he didnt trust his teammates. Very early to hold many flaws against him, I wonder if he develops it. Without checking for height he moves like Tracy McGrady

[crazy_me_87]

Well hes got great go to skills from what I saw. Can attack the basket, pull ups, set shots. I didnt see much off the ball game and the biggest flaw I saw is hes definitely not a passer. Multiple times a guy wide open in the corner but then again, his game was lethal maybe he didnt trust his teammates. Very early to hold many flaws against him, I wonder if he develops it. Without checking for height he moves like Tracy McGrady

To the bolded: He is a passer, the Highlights are misleading there... He averaged 4.6 APG during the Toutnament for Canada. Thats a remarkable number International basketball where assists are lower anyways.

[UcanUwill]

Big fan of this guy. Looks like surefire all star.