During an interview on the Ringer’s Bill Simmons Podcast, ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams described R.J. Barrett as a “next level” NBA Draft prospect who is “head and shoulders above everyone else.” Simmons then said his Ringer staff is saying the same thing: R.J. Barrett is the consensus top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and then there’s everyone else.

Of course, a lot can change during the college basketball season. It’s possible a player like Cameron Reddish or Nassir Little will show enough during the season and start showing up at the #1 spot on most 2019 NBA mock drafts. Or, Barrett will go #1 but another player will end up being the best player from the 2019 NBA draft class. Let’s face it, scouts are never totally right. Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz were supposed to be in an NBA Draft tier of their own, but a year after the 2017 NBA Draft it’s Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell that sit on the tier 1 thrones.

But for now, fans of the tanking teams (Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando, New York, Brooklyn) should be studying up on R.J. Here’s some of the best information on the internet about him.

The Stepien’s Scouting Report on R.J. Barrett

I am a huge fan of simple, bullet point style scouting reports, and the Stepien has some of the best NBA Draft prospect cheat sheets around. Although, I don’t always agree with their rankings — which actually makes me trust their scouting department even more — they aren’t posers regurgitating what other 2019 NBA mock drafts are saying.

Ringer article by By Jonathan Tjarks: Is R.J. Barrett the Greatest Canadian Basketball Prospect Ever?

So, this article is a year old, written just after R.J. dominated the FIBA U19 World Championship. But it’s a solid GIF-style breakdown of his game and what makes R.J. the top prospect.

Frankie Vision Highlights: R.J. Barrett World vs. USA – Full Highlights | Nike Hoop Summit 2018

There’s a ton of R.J. Barrett video highlights of him dominating high school players. It’s like watching a player go through practice drills. It doesn’t teach you much. But the Nike Hoop Summit game is against the BEST high school players in the world, and this video shows how dominant R.J. is against top talent.

Frankie Vision video: R.J. Barrett Weaknesses

Back-to-back videos from Frankie Vision. But every fan needs to face a prospect’s weaknesses. I always find these types of videos totally informative and sometimes totally deflating — I hate having to admit my favorite prospects do in fact have weaknesses.

SLAM Online: Behind the Scenes with R.J. Barrett in his Return to Canada

If you really want to learn about the person behind the highlights, you have to check out this short documentary-style video of R.J. Barrett’s return to his hometown of Mississauga, Canada, for his final high school game. His maturity, attitude, and likeability are underrated (yet super important) reasons why he’s the top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.