Jonathan Givony

@DraftExpress Mike Schmitz

@Mike_Schmitz

R.J. Barrett, Canada, SG/SF, Class of 2019, Uncommitted, 16.8 Strengths

-Tremendous physical profile for his age. Developed, yet still has quite a bit of room to fill out. Wide shoulders. Long arms with a 6' 10 wingspan. Measured 6' 6.5 in shoes.

-Good athlete who is a tough cover in transition thanks to his long strides. Puts pressure on the rim. Not afraid of contact.

-Not afraid of the moment. Was rarely underwhelmed by the fact that he was by far the youngest player in attendance. Plays with a level of confidence rare for his age.

-Herky-jerky style of play. Makes an effort to play at different speeds and change directions, although he can do so with more force. Uses his long strides to step around help defenders and his length to finish from different angles. Uses scoop shots. At his best as a straight line slasher either in transition or the half court. Can mix in an occasional in and out crossover.

-Impressive passer when he's dialed in, especially in the open floor. Can hit rim runners in stride or drop it off to bigs around the rim with great timing. Capable of playing out of pick and roll and hitting the diver. Career 3.2 assists per 40.

-Capable spot shooter with time and space. Game shooter. Struggled in drills but found a way to make shots when the lights came on. Low release point, but gets solid rotation. Lifetime 38.5 3P% on 39 attempts.

-Tremendous defensive potential thanks to his frame, length and instincts. Solid feet on the ball. Uses his length in the passing lanes when he's locked in.

-Impressive overall versatility for his age given his tools, slashing ability, playmaking potential, and occasional shot making. Weaknesses

-Excellent upper body but thin lower body. Legs are a bit bowed out.

-Didn't look as explosive as he has in the past. Was slightly hampered by a lower extremity injury - had come straight from Dick's Nationals where he reportedly hurt his knee. Moves in a bit of a herky jerky fashion. Has yet to reach his athletic potential?

-Struggled a bit to get by long athletes thanks to his so-so burst (maybe due to injury) and very raw handle - loose, away from his body. Makes an effort to change speeds but doesn't do so with much force. Left hand dominant at this stage.

-Not as explosive around the rim in traffic as he is in space. Relies more on his length and ability to finish from different angles than pure explosiveness. Has shown he has a higher degree of explosiveness in the past

-Very streaky shooter. Low release point, off hand involvement, set shot even on the move, wrist action is a little loose. Career 57.5% from the free throw line (92 attempts). Struggles to create separation and get to his jumper off the bounce without time and space, because of the nature of his release.

-Decision making comes and goes. Can really pass but has his questionable moments. Will force up contested threes or wild floaters early in the clock.

-Defensive intensity comes and goes, especially off the ball. Gets caught sleeping.

-Not all that vocal on the court. Tends to look a bit uninterested at times. Outlook

Barrett wasn't at his best after a long stretch of games, but he was still able to show his impressive physical profile, gamer mentality, slashing ability, court vision and shot making with time and space. His comfort-level at age 16 was quite impressive. With that said, Barrett was a bit up and down in terms of his ability to create in the half court, make shots off the dribble, finish vs length, and make good decisions consistently. Barrett's overall skill set could still use some polishing if he's to live up to the expectations he's been able to create with his unbelievable play at the 2015 U16 FIBA Americas, 2016 U17 Worlds, 2016 Jordan Brand International and NBA Basketball Without Borders Global Camp. At the ripe age of 16, Barrett was still far and away the best long term prospect on the World Team and showed enough to validate his current status as a prospect.