Duke’s NCAA Tournament run ended on Sunday in a 68-67 loss to Michigan State in the Elite Eight. While the Spartans move on to the Final Four in Minneapolis, the focus for Duke’s stars is now at the next level, as their four top freshmen are all expected to find their way into the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft.
Tre Jones is likely a late round pick, with major question marks about his shooting, and Cam Reddish’s relative struggles this season make him far from a lock to be a top pick in the lottery. At the top of this year’s class are Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett, although there’s not really a real debate as to who will go first. Williamson has that on lock, with Barrett likely falling somewhere in the top five.
After the Duke loss, which will be most remembered for a late missed free throw from Barrett with a chance to tie, takes about both players’ NBA futures were let loose on social media by everyone from former NBA players to casual fans to NFL MVPs. Steve Nash, who is Barrett’s godfather, offered his thoughts on the young Canadian’s NBA prospects, choosing to highlight his playmaking ability as something that will be better suited for the NBA than the college game.
RJ Barrett (*yes, is my godson) is a next level playmaker at his age, 18, and size. Makes every read/pass. This is one skill that is easier in many respects due to the rules at the nba level but so damn valuable. Blown away at the reads and deliveries he made repetatively.
— Steve Nash (@SteveNash) April 1, 2019
Around the same time as Nash’s tweet, an NFL Draft writer fired off a take that he thought Barrett would end up a better pro than Williamson — which certainly qualifies as a hot take — and Mahomes, while prefacing he loves Barrett’s game, made sure to pump the brakes on that talk explaining why Zion is a great fit in the modern NBA.
RJ Barrett will be a better NBA player than Zion Williamson.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 31, 2019
Love Rj Barrets game but have to disagree with you bud
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) March 31, 2019
I just think the nba right now wants shooter and slashers. Zion isn’t a shooter. Fantastic athlete but he can only finish near the rim.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 31, 2019
The pace of the nba game will play to zions strength, plus the way he can pass rebound and his shot has already improved over this season
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) March 31, 2019
The hope is that both are great, because the NBA is better when young players come in and have a strong impact and reach their full potential — see: this year’s Rookie of the Year race. However, Mahomes has the right approach here. For one, Barrett shot worse from three-point range this season than Williamson, so it’s a bad argument to say Zion won’t fit because he can’t shoot but Barrett can.
Beyond that, while Zion’s athleticism is unbelievable and rightfully marveled at by every viewer, what sets him apart in this class is everything else he does, as Mahomes notes. His shot improved, but more importantly his passing acumen was consistently on display, he plays fast but under control, and his defensive ability was beyond what most anticipated coming out of high school.
Barrett will hopefully fulfill his potential at the next level as well, and as Nash notes his game may be better suited for the Association. He has the toolbox to be great, but when comparing prospects there’s really not much to discuss, which isn’t a knock on Barrett so much as a testament to how unbelievable Williamson has proven to be.
