Forbes
Make no mistake, Barrett is an elite NBA prospect. At this time last year, he was the clear-cut No. 1 prospect in his class, well ahead of Williamson. Heading into the 2018-19 season, he was the more heralded Duke freshman. As ESPN?s Jay Bilas proclaimed on the telecast Tuesday night, Barrett is a player ?worthy of a No. 1 overall pick. A year ago, he was the presumptive No. 1 pick? in the 2019 draft.
When discussing Barrett, it?s important to highlight the fact that he?s been a winner wherever he?s been. As a 17-year old, he led Team Canada to their first gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Championships. He was named MVP of the tournament after exploding for 38 points (on 12-of-24 shooting) and 13 rebounds in a victory over Team USA (featuring Carsen Edwards, PJ Washington, Cam Reddish and Kevin Huerter). Then, after winning MVP at the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp, he led his high school team to a National Championship as a senior. While Duke didn?t win the NCAA crown last season, they did win the ACC Tournament.
When examining the individual skills Barrett brings to the table, we have to first focus on scoring. This kid can get buckets in bunches. He averaged 22.6 points per game as a freshman this past season. His 860 total points were the most by any freshman in the ACC over the last 25 years, and the second most by any Duke player in a single season in the school?s history (behind only J.J. Redick as a senior in 2005-06). In fact, according to Basketball-Reference, the only other freshman to pour in more than 850 points since 1992 all played in the Big 12: Kevin Durant (2006-07), Michael Beasley (2007-08) and Trae Young (2017-18).
Barrett, who was named USA Today?s National Player of the Year, was also remarkably consistent throughout the year. He never missed a game, fouled out only once, and was the only player in the country to score at least 13 points in every game this season. Part of his offensive success stems from the fact that he attacks the basket and gets to the free-throw stripe persistently. His 224 FT attempts led the ACC, and matched the same number of free throws a young James Harden attempted as a freshman at Arizona State in 2007-08.
Yet, Barrett is not solely a scorer. He dished out 4.3 assists per game, which ranked fifth overall in the ACC. He had 11 assists (a Duke freshman record) in their win over Virginia Tech in Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Barrett also averaged an impressive 7.6 rebounds per game. That?s a higher rebounding average than first-round forward prospects such as Grant Williams of Tennessee and P.J. Washington of Kentucky.
Sum it all up, and it?s undeniable that Barrett brings a versatile, well-round game with him to the next level. Consider this: Barrett is the first player in NCAA Division 1 history to tally at least 850 points, 250 rebounds, 150 assists and 50 made 3-pointers in a single season.
Are there flaws in his game? Of course. His jumper can be flat at times, and he needs to improve his shooting stroke, as evidenced by the fact that he shot 30.8% from downtown and 66.5% from the charity stripe. While Barrett can be a solid defender for stretches when he locks in on that end of the floor, he was not always as focused as he should be defensively.
Still, it should be pointed out that he?s one of the youngest players in the draft at just 18 years. (Crazy as it sounds, Barrett was born in June of 2000. For Knicks fans that want to feel old, he wasn?t even born when Allan Houston beat Miami at the buzzer, prompting a Knicks run to the Finals in 1999). Barrett hasn?t even started scratching the surface of his God-given talent. In addition to youth being on his side, Barrett has a prototypical frame and physique for an NBA shooting guard/small forward. If you were creating an NBA wing in a lab somewhere, you?d probably have the settings fixed at 6-foot-7 with a 6-10 wingspan, which are Barrett?s exact measurements.