2019 NBA Draft profile: Duke forward R.J. Barrett

As a top-five lock in the upcoming 2019 NBA Draft, here’s a look at the draft profile for Duke forward R.J. Barrett.

R.J. Barrett arrived onto the Duke University campus as the No. 1 freshman prospect in college basketball. The 2019 NBA Draft mock drafts opened with Barrett as the prohibitive favorite to go first overall in the upcoming draft. An up-and-down individual season, combined with the emergence into stardom of teammate Zion Williamson, allowed for Barrett’s draft stock to take a bit of a hit throughout the year.

Although Duke’s Zion Williamson and Murray State’s Ja Morant have essentially locked themselves into the first two selections of this draft, Barrett still remains the top prospect outside of the top two. In an incredibly top-heavy draft, many consider this to be a three-player draft, and there’s a reason Barrett is still considered one of the three elite players at the top of the board.

Through his multi-dimensional scoring attack and relentless physicality, Barrett still possesses the tools needed to become a foundational piece in this league. His draft stock took a hit because of some intangible issues that he showed during his time in Camden.

Here’s a look at R.J. Barrett’s 2019 NBA Draft profile, including his strengths, weaknesses, some film breakdown and his overall outlook.

2019 NBA Draft Profile

• Name: R.J. Barrett
• Height: 6’7″
• Weight: 202 pounds
• Position: Small forward
• College: Duke
• NBA Comparison: Will Barton/DeMar DeRozan

2018-19 statistics

• 22.6 PPG
• 7.6 RPG
• 4.3 APG
• 45.4 FG%
• 30.8 3P%
• 66.5 FT%