RJ Barrett

[NBA Fan 1234]

Another fantastic game by RJ

27pts
15 Rebs
4 assists
12-16

Last 2 games. 22-28 from field. 54pts

Nice. I believe in this player.

His last two games were against crap teams, FYI. Essentially nothing to read into here...

[Duke4life831]

I can't take any stats seriously from the last 2 games, those were some of the worst games I've seen in a long time. This last game looked like Duke was doing a walk through during practice. They gave 0 effort and the game before was just a crazy beat down.

I will say he again played well within the team's offensive flow for a second straight game. Still waiting to see if this continues when he faces legit competition. So we will see on the 20th against Texas Tech if he keeps this style of play up, or if he falls back to his me first, second, third thought process on offense.

Against Stetson, 14 shots to 7 assists. Cam had more shots than him and 14 shots to 24 shots for Cam/Zion combined.

Against Hartford, 14 shots to 4 assists. 14 shots to 26 shots for Cam/Zion

Much more team friendly style. Hopefully he keeps this kind of shot IQ and ball movement going forward.

[RaptorsLife]

Another fantastic game by RJ

27pts
15 Rebs
4 assists
12-16

Last 2 games. 22-28 from field. 54pts

Nice. I believe in this player.

His last two games were against crap teams, FYI. Essentially nothing to read into here...

Besides Kentucky and Auburn all the wins are against trash teams lol. And he played well against Kentucky. Might as well not look into anything until the conference games

[NBA Fan 1234]

Nice. I believe in this player.

His last two games were against crap teams, FYI. Essentially nothing to read into here...

Besides Kentucky and Auburn all the wins are against trash teams lol. And he played well against Kentucky. Might as well not look into anything until the conference games

Army isn’t bad, if you actually watched. You can take things from bad games, by the way. Beating up on **** teams is meaningless.

[drosereturn]

Another fantastic game by RJ

27pts
15 Rebs
4 assists
12-16

Last 2 games. 22-28 from field. 54pts

Nice. I believe in this player.

"But he didn't pass it to Zion" Yeah, he's a Tracy McGrady mold so he doesnt need help. He can pretty much do whatever he wants and this is a guy that can be a number 1 option on a championship contender.

[NBA Fan 1234]

Another fantastic game by RJ

27pts
15 Rebs
4 assists
12-16

Last 2 games. 22-28 from field. 54pts

Nice. I believe in this player.

"But he didn't pass it to Zion" Yeah, he's a Tracy McGrady mold so he doesnt need help. He can pretty much do whatever he wants and this is a guy that can be a number 1 option on a championship contender.

What?

[GameBredAPBT]

Nice. I believe in this player.

"But he didn't pass it to Zion" Yeah, he's a Tracy McGrady mold so he doesnt need help. He can pretty much do whatever he wants and this is a guy that can be a number 1 option on a championship contender.

What?

Good ****** grief, what is your beef with this kid, dude? You must've despised Mike/Kobe when they were around

[GameBredAPBT]

Kobe without the athleticism or skill, sure.

Extremely similar athletically. Less finesse based, more power/brute strength.

Much more talented & skilled than Kobe was at his age.

None of this is true. RJ is closer to Wiggins than he is to Kobe.

Nope. He's been getting compared to Kobe for years now for a reason. He's the spitting image of young Kobe. Literally has not much at all in common with Wiggins other than where they're from.

[NBA Fan 1234]

"But he didn't pass it to Zion" Yeah, he's a Tracy McGrady mold so he doesnt need help. He can pretty much do whatever he wants and this is a guy that can be a number 1 option on a championship contender.

What?

Good ****** grief, what is your beef with this kid, dude? You must've despised Mike/Kobe when they were around

I have no issue with him. I'm simply against using a two game sample size against **** teams as a means to say ANY player has improved. If he continues it as the season progresses, I'll change my tune. Take is easy, dude...not sure why you're getting so angry about this. If you disagree with me, either ignore my posts or try to make me see the other way. It's easy.

[Funcrusher]

Extremely similar athletically. Less finesse based, more power/brute strength.

Much more talented & skilled than Kobe was at his age.

None of this is true. RJ is closer to Wiggins than he is to Kobe.

Nope. He's been getting compared to Kobe for years now for a reason. He's the spitting image of young Kobe. Literally has not much at all in common with Wiggins other than where they're from.

Has nothing in common with Kobe dude. Unless you can explain to me in detail how their games are similar, which I doubt you can.

[Duke4life831]

Ya Im not seeing the Kobe comparisons. First the obvious standout between them, their agility. Look how agile a young Kobe was, now look how stiff RJ is. I think RJ is a good athlete, but its not functional athleticism, Kobe's athleticism was very functional. Kobe's jumper was basically formed around being a pull up jumper, RJ's jumper is very mechanical and slow.

Dont get me wrong I would love to have the next Kobe be a guy from Duke, I aint seeing it from RJ. Really the only comparisons I see is size and mentality. RJ has that get out of the way I will put this team on my back and carry them to victory all by myself attitude that Kobe had. That attitude no doubt has some benefits but it also has its negatives as well (see the Gonzaga game).

[Funcrusher]

But yeah, I would say that I think RJ's best comp is a less athletic, higher motor Wiggins. Good athlete in open space, but not really functional in the half court. Average at best handles, relies on length/strength to get in the paint. Can't really shoot, yet has terrible shot selection. Is generally a defensive liability(though Barrett can change this narrative). The one area RJ stands apart from Wiggins is as a passer, but his selfishness sort of negates that as an attribute. I am not forecasting RJ as a bust, but I don't see a very high ceiling for him either and there are a lot of red flags.

So your best comparison is a player that you just created, cause based on what you said he's nothing like Wiggins. You are only comparing the two because they are two Canadian prospects with hype.

Perhaps I'm off on the Wiggins comparison, and if so, I apologize. I'll certainly do my due diligence and look into that further. Everything I wrote certainly applies to RJ, though.

[NBA Fan 1234]

Ya Im not seeing the Kobe comparisons. First the obvious standout between them, their agility. Look how agile a young Kobe was, now look how stiff RJ is. I think RJ is a good athlete, but its not functional athleticism, Kobe's athleticism was very functional. Kobe's jumper was basically formed around being a pull up jumper, RJ's jumper is very mechanical and slow.

Dont get me wrong I would love to have the next Kobe be a guy from Duke, I aint seeing it from RJ. Really the only comparisons I see is size and mentality. RJ has that get out of the way I will put this team on my back and carry them to victory all by myself attitude that Kobe had. That attitude no doubt has some benefits but it also has its negatives as well (see the Gonzaga game).

His rigidity sticks out like a sore thumb to me.

[Duke4life831]

Ya Im not seeing the Kobe comparisons. First the obvious standout between them, their agility. Look how agile a young Kobe was, now look how stiff RJ is. I think RJ is a good athlete, but its not functional athleticism, Kobe's athleticism was very functional. Kobe's jumper was basically formed around being a pull up jumper, RJ's jumper is very mechanical and slow.

Dont get me wrong I would love to have the next Kobe be a guy from Duke, I aint seeing it from RJ. Really the only comparisons I see is size and mentality. RJ has that get out of the way I will put this team on my back and carry them to victory all by myself attitude that Kobe had. That attitude no doubt has some benefits but it also has its negatives as well (see the Gonzaga game).

His rigidity sticks out like a sore thumb to me.

Ya to me that right there should kill any Kobe comparison on the spot. Kobe was a fluid athlete, fluid and RJ will never go together. His game is unbelievably stiff and to me that can be a massive negative especially in the NBA. Barnes was similar, explosive athlete in the open court, but man it was apparent right away in college that in the half court his stiffness and lack of handle just killed any chance of creating space.

To me RJ has 2 massive flaws in his offensive game (not including the shoot first, second, third mentality). His stiffness and his basic high dribble. The dude dribbles really high, his dribble has bit him in the butt a few times already on fast breaks. But in the half court, the combination of the two things basically makes it impossible for him to create space for himself. I just rewatched his highlights from November, there is no creation of space for himself in the half court, I mean none. Zion has his insane 1st step, inside out dribble move, and spin move that creates him space. Cam has the spin and step back moves that creates space for him. RJ just cant create space for himself, this was very clear at the end of the Gonzaga game where Rui (who struggled to stay in the same vicinity as Zion, was glued to RJ's hip.

[NBA Fan 1234]

Ya Im not seeing the Kobe comparisons. First the obvious standout between them, their agility. Look how agile a young Kobe was, now look how stiff RJ is. I think RJ is a good athlete, but its not functional athleticism, Kobe's athleticism was very functional. Kobe's jumper was basically formed around being a pull up jumper, RJ's jumper is very mechanical and slow.

Dont get me wrong I would love to have the next Kobe be a guy from Duke, I aint seeing it from RJ. Really the only comparisons I see is size and mentality. RJ has that get out of the way I will put this team on my back and carry them to victory all by myself attitude that Kobe had. That attitude no doubt has some benefits but it also has its negatives as well (see the Gonzaga game).

His rigidity sticks out like a sore thumb to me.

Ya to me that right there should kill any Kobe comparison on the spot. Kobe was a fluid athlete, fluid and RJ will never go together. His game is unbelievably stiff and to me that can be a massive negative especially in the NBA. Barnes was similar, explosive athlete in the open court, but man it was apparent right away in college that in the half court his stiffness and lack of handle just killed any chance of creating space.

To me RJ has 2 massive flaws in his offensive game (not including the shoot first, second, third mentality). His stiffness and his basic high dribble. The dude dribbles really high, his dribble has bit him in the butt a few times already on fast breaks. But in the half court, the combination of the two things basically makes it impossible for him to create space for himself. I just rewatched his highlights from November, there is no creation of space for himself in the half court, I mean none. Zion has his insane 1st step, inside out dribble move, and spin move that creates him space. Cam has the spin and step back moves that creates space for him. RJ just cant create space for himself, this was very clear at the end of the Gonzaga game where Rui (who struggled to stay in the same vicinity as Zion, was glued to RJ's hip.

Damn, you're missing Zion's 1-2 cross (the FOOTWORK on the second one, though - perfectly seals Morgan behind him!).

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[Duke4life831]

His rigidity sticks out like a sore thumb to me.

Ya to me that right there should kill any Kobe comparison on the spot. Kobe was a fluid athlete, fluid and RJ will never go together. His game is unbelievably stiff and to me that can be a massive negative especially in the NBA. Barnes was similar, explosive athlete in the open court, but man it was apparent right away in college that in the half court his stiffness and lack of handle just killed any chance of creating space.

To me RJ has 2 massive flaws in his offensive game (not including the shoot first, second, third mentality). His stiffness and his basic high dribble. The dude dribbles really high, his dribble has bit him in the butt a few times already on fast breaks. But in the half court, the combination of the two things basically makes it impossible for him to create space for himself. I just rewatched his highlights from November, there is no creation of space for himself in the half court, I mean none. Zion has his insane 1st step, inside out dribble move, and spin move that creates him space. Cam has the spin and step back moves that creates space for him. RJ just cant create space for himself, this was very clear at the end of the Gonzaga game where Rui (who struggled to stay in the same vicinity as Zion, was glued to RJ's hip.

Damn, you're missing Zion's 1-2 cross (the FOOTWORK on the second one, though - perfectly seals Morgan behind him!).

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He tends to use the cross more in transition Ive noticed, hasnt broken it out in half court too often. That spin move though creates so much space for him every time, its crazy. He has that thing down to a science already. The mix of his size, first step and the ability to just plant that foot and stop then change direction is unstoppable. That for sure is going to be his go to move his first few years at minimum in the league and he is going to make some guys look dumb.

But ya this is the kind of space creation that Im talking about. He put on a show as well in the UK game as well. This is something that you can dig around for and just not find anything like this for RJ. If RJ had KPJ's wiggle and space creation, I would have RJ easily #1.

On a side note, I hated seeing that play by Zion to end the half. That was the first game after Gonzaga and that play right there is what every Duke fan wanted to see just at least once at the end of the Gonzaga game. I know myself and many other Duke fans first though after seeing that was, "where the hell was that last game?". Also right before that clip starts, you can see K yelling at RJ to call Zion up to give him the ball to end the half haha.

[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.

[CptCrunch]

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.

[tidho]

The Kobe comparisons aren't fair or realistic.

He looks like a more athletic Paul Pierce to me though.
Cavaliers please.

[RaptorsLife]

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.

Also RJ actually plays defense something DeRozan has never done