RJ Barrett declares....

GonzoCat90

Heisman
Mar 30, 2009
32,377
34,559
0
His style was perfect for eventually being Duke's undoing this year, and many of us said so all year.

But man, he's going to be a good pro. For all the shots he took, he's also a really good facilitator, especially at his size. Strong frame, good length, fearless mindset, good vision and handle, shot it better than I expected, great at drawing fouls and finishing through contact.

He's a bigger, stronger, better James Harden at the same stage. And he wants to be great.
 

JC43

All-Conference
Oct 6, 2006
3,807
2,956
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...that no teammate will like passing him the ball. NASA just published the first recorded 'photo' of an event horizon...shocked when they saw RJ and James harden there....Waka waka
 

Fitch44

All-American
Feb 11, 2004
3,581
7,375
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Just read a nba mock
Draft write up on lottery picks.
What a shame coach k gets these top kids and does nothing to make them
Better. Brainwashes them into thinking they are somehow better than because they went to duke. Like the world owes them and they are set for life.
He does not push them
To be better teammates or to better all around players on both ends. I think he is senial old *** thought he had these 3 guys and with that along with riding the refs to death he would get to another title.

Write up on RJ was that he needs to improve his shooting, defense and playing for his teammates.
With Cam Reddish said he had a disappointing frosh year who
Left a lot to be desired with his lackadaisical play and inconsistent shooting.

These two guys are very talented but we’re not really pushed to get better.
What a joke shiteshefski is.
 
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LineSkiCat14

Heisman
Aug 5, 2015
38,934
61,059
113
Yeah I think he's going to tear up the NBA. I know zion is the better prospect.. But I suspect when injuries creep up on zion, and he tips the scales over 300 because of it.. RJ will still be there making shots from all over..

He's gonna be a scoring machine like Arenas (pre guns) or T-mac.. Kind of even has that lazy eye thing going like McGrady.
 
May 31, 2018
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Skip Bayless was ripping Coach K after their loss for letting Barrett hog the ball and jack up 4 shots in the final minute and a half missing all instead of making them get the ball to Zion who didn't touch it during that stretch. He said it happened during the Gonzaga game earlier and K did nothing. He said the K stood for striking out on how to coach and yet nobody would call him out for it. For the first time in my life I found myself agreeing with Skip Bayless...I felt all icky inside.
 
May 31, 2018
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Yeah I think he's going to tear up the NBA. I know zion is the better prospect.. But I suspect when injuries creep up on zion, and he tips the scales over 300 because of it.. RJ will still be there making shots from all over..

He's gonna be a scoring machine like Arenas (pre guns) or T-mac.. Kind of even has that lazy eye thing going like McGrady.


Let's be honest if you shoot 30 shots and 10 free throws per game and you are not a scoring machine you shouldn't be in the NBA.
 

LineSkiCat14

Heisman
Aug 5, 2015
38,934
61,059
113
Let's be honest if you shoot 30 shots and 10 free throws per game and you are not a scoring machine you shouldn't be in the NBA.

You just don't see many guys come in as freshman and be able to score like that. I'll NEVER root for him, but I think RJ got a bad rap. He had quite a few games where he took it to the rack eith ease, several times, to close out wins for them. He kept them afloat when Zion was out.. and that Duke team was pretty much garbage without those two.
 
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AlbanyWildCat

All-Conference
Mar 18, 2009
6,895
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I'm watching FS1 (yes, I am probably the only one) and it's Breaking News that RJ has declared.

Breaking News Folks!!!!!!!!
 

revcort

Heisman
Feb 20, 2003
32,522
30,904
113
The man who never met a shot he didn't like. Haha! Problem is, though he seems to like every shot, he misses about 55% of them, and about 70% of them outside the shortened college 3pt line.
 
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hotelblue

Heisman
Jul 6, 2006
41,683
13,121
0
His style was perfect for eventually being Duke's undoing this year, and many of us said so all year.

But man, he's going to be a good pro. For all the shots he took, he's also a really good facilitator, especially at his size. Strong frame, good length, fearless mindset, good vision and handle, shot it better than I expected, great at drawing fouls and finishing through contact.

He's a bigger, stronger, better James Harden at the same stage. And he wants to be great.
he’s an elite scorer inside the arc imo. he can hit mid range jumpers and hang and finish in crafty ways. if he ever develops a good 3 pt % he will be a real star.
 
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BlueBloodKyFan73

All-Conference
Oct 29, 2010
3,960
4,994
113
Can you let us know when Zion announces?I’m sure it won’t be posted or on every sports channel.
 

struggler

All-Conference
Jan 23, 2013
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Tons of potential and def. a shoot/score first type of player. We'll see how it translates. Like with ALL Duke players... they enter the NBA with a false sense of how good they think they will be because they play a season of very protected - on both ends of the floor. Best example is Okafor.

NBA is a different animal. No one is rolling over for you because of your stars as a high school recruit. No one is giving you that automatic whistle (until you prove to be a superstar). Grown *** men with millions of dollars on the line - be it coaches, franchises or players. So yes - he has potential - but it's an uphill run for anyone. If I recall Ben Simmons was the next transcendental player just a few years ago - the next "immediately dominant Lebron like" player. He's good - but not great yet... and it's not been immediate. (BS not allowed to shoot 3's - Stats very similar to D. Fox in the NBA. Love D Fox - but not near the media hype of BS or others).

Let's see how he does on a bottom feeder team.
 
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mjj_2K

All-American
Jul 11, 2010
12,439
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James Harden is clearly what Barrett wants to be, and there are similarities, but James Harden hit 40.7% and 35.6% from 3 in his 2 college seasons, and over 75% on FT's both years. Barrett was 30.8% from 3, 66.5% on FT's.

Additionally, Harden came into the league and proved he could play, very, very well off the ball before Houston handed him the reins and ran their offense through him. Barrett has never played off the ball in his life, and showed no inclination or ability to do so at Duke.

Barrett has a big upside, but he also has a big downside.
 
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GonzoCat90

Heisman
Mar 30, 2009
32,377
34,559
0
Rich man’s Shabazz Muhammed

Good comparison, but he's a really rich man's version, and he's so much better at facilitating that it almost makes them different players entirely. He's a left handed bulldozer that uses angles and strength just like Shabazz. But mentally and skill-wise he's on a different level.

I actually think there's a little Tyreke Evans there. He's just not as physically strong.
 

TFCat11

Heisman
Mar 25, 2019
5,963
10,728
108
The man who never met a shot he didn't like. Haha! Problem is, though he seems to like every shot, he misses about 55% of them, and about 70% of them outside the shortened college 3pt line.
It worked out for him going to Duke. At UK, Cal would have went full Terrence Jones on that boy! Good luck RJ...Psych
 
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Untouchables22

All-Conference
Mar 5, 2013
2,359
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Good comparison, but he's a really rich man's version, and he's so much better at facilitating that it almost makes them different players entirely. He's a left handed bulldozer that uses angles and strength just like Shabazz. But mentally and skill-wise he's on a different level.

I actually think there's a little Tyreke Evans there. He's just not as physically strong.
I think it’s more likely then not he is a solid pro....but I do think there is a decent chance he is a bust. He feasted on physically overmatching a lot of smaller forwards in the paint for easy shots in college. (Also got away with a TON of foreman shivers into defenders chests) In the NBA everybody who guards him is going to be his own size. For a top 5 pick he has below average athleticism and right now he is a poor outside shooter and free throw shooter. I would be scared to draft him #2-#5 but this is a really weak draft.
 
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GonzoCat90

Heisman
Mar 30, 2009
32,377
34,559
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I think it’s more likely then not he is a solid pro....but I do think there is a decent chance he is a bust. He feasted on physically overmatching a lot of smaller forwards in the paint for easy shots in college. (Also got away with a TON of foreman shivers into defenders chests) In the NBA everybody who guards him is going to be his own size. For a top 5 pick he has below average athleticism and right now he is a poor outside shooter and free throw shooter. I would be scared to draft him #2-#5 but this is a really weak draft.

It's definitely possible that he busts, at least relative to expectations. People probably consider Andrew Wiggins a bust, and Barrett could be grouped in that same category by opposing fans who say he puts up hollow stats, etc.

I think a lot of what he does will work in the NBA though. We see guys do it every night. Harden does it. Joe Johnson did it for a decade. He has to become a better three point shooter, but he's a maniac according to everything I've ever read about him, and those guys usually fix their flaws.

Now, is he a champion? A franchise guy from a personality standpoint? Who knows at 18? But in a draft where your options are Cam Reddish and Romeo Langford, I'll take my chances on RJ Barrett hurting someone's feelings.
 

Catluv

All-Conference
Dec 18, 2018
3,546
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RJ and Zion sucked the life out of the rest of duke's team. Needed 2 balls on that team!
 

mjj_2K

All-American
Jul 11, 2010
12,439
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It's definitely possible that he busts, at least relative to expectations. People probably consider Andrew Wiggins a bust, and Barrett could be grouped in that same category by opposing fans who say he puts up hollow stats, etc.

I think a lot of what he does will work in the NBA though. We see guys do it every night. Harden does it. Joe Johnson did it for a decade. He has to become a better three point shooter, but he's a maniac according to everything I've ever read about him, and those guys usually fix their flaws.

Now, is he a champion? A franchise guy from a personality standpoint? Who knows at 18? But in a draft where your options are Cam Reddish and Romeo Langford, I'll take my chances on RJ Barrett hurting someone's feelings.
Andrew Wiggins is considered a bust because he is a bust. He does precious little to help his team win games.

Barrett is going to be better than that, but "how much" is a totally valid question.
 

kevcat

Heisman
Feb 26, 2007
27,686
32,625
0
 
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Xception

Heisman
Apr 17, 2007
26,407
22,344
0
We could have used him and Zion too when we had nobody who could get a shot off or create anything in the tournament. Duke lost because they didn’t have a supporting cast that could produce and Reddish wasn’t any help either, turnovers hurt them also. Our team was flawed because we didn’t have one of those two, Cal would have done better with one of them imo.