2019 NBA Mock Draft: A crazy lottery throws everything into question
RJ Barrett. 3. player. 27. . G/F. Duke
It was particularly uncomfortable to watch Barrett on ESPN’s telecast of the lottery last Tuesday as he had to field questions about what made his teammate, Zion Williamson, so special, despite likely believing he had a reasonable case for the No.1 pick himself. It was a tough situation, but Barrett’s relationship with Williamson is one of the intangible things that allowed him to separate from the rest of the draft.
Barrett’s high school coach said the same thing to the New York Post:
"“You see how he handled himself this year. You have an incredible player in Zion Williamson. And obviously they’re both great players. You can make a great argument for both to be No. 1 in the draft. And Zion deserved all the attention he got. But RJ probably deserved more attention than he received. And he was never jealous. He was happy for his friend. Happy for the team. And I think that’s a rare quality in today’s kids.”"
It’s unclear the impact Barrett would have on prospective free agent signing like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but he is too talented a player to pass on at No. 3. New York can cross the young role player vs. win-now veteran bridge when they come to it. Right now, the priority needs to be adding talent.
If the team comes together around Durant quickly, Barrett can be packaged with other assets to upgrade the roster and compete for a championship. But moving off the pick ahead of time just to appease Durant would be a mistake in terms of valuing talent.