As the 2019 NBA Draft approaches, Ja Morant has overtaken R.J. Barrett on most rankings.

At this point, it’s considered almost definite that Morant will be joining the Memphis Grizzlies as the second overall pick in the draft.

I will not be making the case for why Memphis should take Barrett over Morant. When a team makes a selection, generally there’s other things you need to consider such as positional and scheme fit. Rather, this will be about why I consider Barrett to be the superior prospect.

Here’s my full breakdown on why:

Lets start with what makes both these guys such great prospects. Both of them have a specific skill that they’re absolutely elite at. For Morant it’s his passing/court vision as well as his handle and for Barrett it’s his scoring ability.

Additionally, Morant’s an elite athlete for a point guard and Barrett is a great athlete in his own right, although for their positions Morant has the edge in this regard. Another thing we have to mention is Barrett’s passing ability when he focuses on facilitating and Morant’s scoring ability at the college level.

The first skills mentioned for each of them will undeniably translate. Morant will likely enter the NBA as one of the ten best passers in the league and will only improve in that area. Likewise for Barrett who will be able to serve as a go-to option from the get-go.

Where I have to give Barrett the edge is how his secondary skills translate to the NBA compared to Morant.

Barrett’s passing is fantastic when locked in. In games where he focused more on moving the ball, such as versus Syracuse or Florida State. The main things holding Barrett back from looking like a top-end initiator as a wing were his tunnel vision and supporting cast. Tunnel vision and reluctancy to pass the ball is something that CAN be coached. Unselfishness can come with time. That is not something that should be considered as big of a knock as it is towards Barrett right now. You absolutely want that alpha mentality and will to take the final shot out of a young player with the scoring ability he has, especially at where he’s at in terms of development. If a coach can get him to simply balance the scoring and playmaking, you’re going to end up with a hell of a player on your hands. Even if you were to consider his decision making a knock due to his tunnel vision, you have to acknowledge that Morant’s decision making could be erratic as well at Murray State. The fact is that both are coachable though and I wouldn’t hold these issues against them super highly.

When referring to supporting cast as one of the things holding him back, context is important. Many will argue that since he played on a team stacked with NBA talent, this could not have been the case. But as someone who’s scoring starts with his slashing ability, you need spacing in order to thrive as a playmaker. Alex O’Connell was the only player for Duke this season who shot above 34% from three and took more than ten threes on the season. Simply put this type of spacing is awful for a player in R.J.’s mold. In the NBA, spacing will almost definitely improve around him.

Let’s go back to Morant.

Although I’d consider him an elite athlete, I think he’s a step below the absolute top-end point guards athletically like John Wall, Russell Westbrook, and De’Aaron Fox. He’ll still be able to make a ton of plays and absolutely light up teams because of his tools, but I don’t think he’s game-breaking as an athlete.

Let’s talk about his scoring ability. I truly believe he’s going to struggle to score efficiently once he reaches the pros. For one, I don’t trust his jumper at all. Firstly, his form isn’t good. He has a low release point and his elbow flares out. Secondly, if you take out the two tournament games as well as the third game of the year where he went 6/12 from deep, he shot 32% on the season. I don’t think the full season numbers are sustainable, although I do think he can become a serviceable shooter if he reworks his mechanics since he’s good form the line. But the point is that you have to be a respectable shooter in the NBA if you’re a point guard. I don’t see Morant having that when he enters the league, and if the form isn’t reworked he’ll never be a great shooter.

Let’s hop back to Barrett. It’s no doubt that he struggled with his jumper this season in terms of percentages. But his form is much better than his percentages indicate.

His only issue is that he has a slower release. But all a slower release means is that you can’t get your shot off as quickly, it has nothing to do with the accuracy of your jumpshot. Given that many of the shots he took featured a high degree of difficulty at Duke and the fact that we’ve seen great progression over the last few years, there’s good reason to believe he’ll be a much better shooter in the NBA.

This isn’t to say he’ll be an amazing shooter. Just that he has the fundamentals down and with better shot selection it will very likely improve.

Going back to Morant and his scoring, his slight frame is going to hurt him in the NBA. He is clearly lacking strength right now and he’s going to struggle with the physicality of an NBA defense. He is a fantastic finisher at the rim, and you have to give him credit for that, but his life is going to be much harder when trying to score in the paint. He also has a frame that looks like he won’t ever be able to put on a ton of strength, although he should be able to bulk up enough to handle himself in that regard eventually.

This is a contrast with Barrett who is already very strong for his age and seeks out contact when driving. Add in the fact that Duke had the second hardest strength of schedule in the NCAA while Murray State’s ranked in the 200’s, and there’s even more reason to worry about Morant’s adjustment to NBA defenses and more reason to why that won’t be a problem for Barrett.

Another reason why I have Barrett over Morant is how much his facilitating ability affects the game. I’m a believer that wings who can serve as primary initiators are THE most valuable type of players in basketball. This is an advantage few teams in the league possess and they are as effective as they are rare.

The final thing I’d like to talk about is potential defensive value. At this point neither are good defenders. Barrett rarely showed an interest in defending while Morant was someone who got consistently lost defending ball screens.

However, you have to acknowledge that Barrett has a much higher chance of becoming an effective defender at the NBA-level. For one, Barrett’s issues are very coachable. There was simply a lack of willingness on the defensive end, which is common for elite offensive players at the college level, such as Ben Simmons for example. And while I doubt Barrett becomes a shutdown player in the pros, he’s athletic profile alone should give him the ability to serve as an effective one-on-one player who’s capable of switching.

As for Morant, he doesn’t have much hope on this end. Although his athleticism could translate into being a pest in passing lanes, he has shown an inability to guard ball screens in college and his slight frame means he will be able to be overpowered and taken advantage of physically.

Add in the fact that wings are simply much more valuable on the defensive end than point guards in today’s NBA, and you have to give Barrett massive points over Morant in this regard.