Steve Nash knows RJ Barrett's game better than most. Not only does he hail from Barrett's native Canada, but Nash has also been keeping close tabs on the teenage phenom's development as general manager of the Canadian national team over the past several years. Oh yeah, the two-time MVP is also Barrett's godfather, having gotten close with his father, Rowan, as the two played on Team Canada in the 1990s.
Needless to say, Nash's opinion of Barrett's game should matter more than most. So when he says the Duke freshman has the chance to play in eight All-Star Games, it would be wise of teams picking in the top five of the 2019 NBA Draft to take notice.
“You realize that where I got is hard to project on anyone,” Nash said, per The Undefeated's Marc Spears. “But he has every chance to be as good as a player or better. Will he win two MVPs? That is not a fair thing to say, because so much of that is on circumstance and situation. You never know. But can he be a guy that plays in eight All-Star Games?
“Absolutely.”
A consensus First Team All-American as a freshman, Barrett averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game as a freshman. He has great size for a potential primary ball handler at 6-foot-7, 202 pounds, but has many questions to answer about his jumper – from both beyond the arc and off the dribble – and may not quite have the natural tools to be a team's full-time playmaker at the next level.
Barrett is projected as a surefire top-three pick in Thursday's draft, with many projecting him to the New York Knicks.
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