RJ Barrett Declares for 2019 NBA Draft After 1 Season at Duke

To the surprise of no one, Duke Blue Devils star RJ Barrett declared his eligibility for the 2019 NBA draft Wednesday:

Barrett, 18, is expected to be a top-five pick in this year's draft. He has long been considered one of the top prospects in the class of 2019, alongside Duke teammates Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish and Murray State guard Ja Morant.

In February, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic spoke to several college basketball assistants about Barrett.

One coach said: "I like him. I like his alpha mentality. And I think he'll become really good. But the thing that scares me about the NBA is that alpha mentality. I'll be very interested to see how that fits in with the team that drafts him."

Another coach added: "Scorer's mentality. He had no interest in guarding. He had an interest in gambling and going for steals. He's very left-hand dominant. In my scout, I thought Reddish had a higher ceiling."

One of the coaches noted that Barrett's ideal position in the NBA would be "tall point," doubting whether he would ever develop into a great shooter. Most agreed that he was excellent off the dribble and attacking the basket.

Barrett definitely gets buckets. The true freshman scored 22.6 points per game, adding 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest. He shot 45.4 percent from the field and 30.8 from three, and he has the offensive game to be a star at the next level.

He helped lead Duke to the Elite Eight, where the Blue Devils suffered a disappointing loss to Michigan State.

His upside will be determined by the progression of his jump shot and willingness to play defense. If he becomes a consistent three-point shooter and a shutdown defender, his potential is limitless. Even if he doesn't, he should still be an excellent offensive player.

But Barrett has the ability to be much more, and he will be drafted based on that possible outcome.