RJ Barrett entered his lone season at Duke as the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, but he was soon outclassed by teammate Zion Williamson, who wound up going first overall to the New Orleans Pelicans. Barrett didn't even go No. 2, instead falling to No. 3 behind point guard Ja Morant.
While Barrett put up terrific numbers as a freshman, questions arose about his shooting, decision-making and defense. ESPN's projections say the youngster has a 94% chance of becoming a starting-caliber player and only an 8% chance of becoming an All-Star-level player, and he responded to a question about this, per Steve Serby of the New York Post:
A: That’s just another person’s opinion. I don’t know, I just find it funny, people say I can’t shoot and I’m not gonna be a good enough player at the next level, so if that was the case, why did I get drafted? People say things, and I don’t really care for it. It’s just when I prove everyone wrong, then people are gonna change their narrative.
Barrett went on to say he lives for proving people wrong, which is something he has been doing his entire life:
A: That’s what I live for. I live for just being the best I can be, and lately, most of my life, being the best I can be, in fact, ends up proving everyone wrong.
…
A: I don’t know. It’s been since I was a kid. I remember some of my friends telling me I was only there because my dad was the General Manager. So it started by prove them wrong. People said I wouldn’t be able to make it in the States, proved them wrong. Wouldn’t be good in college, proved them wrong. That’s just how it goes.
Barrett will be looking to prove his doubters wrong as he tries to bring the Knicks back to greatness. New York is trying to sign proven stars in free agency, but in case that doesn't happen, Barrett will be facing more pressure to succeed. At the very least, he has the right attitude.
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