Atlanta Hawks: 13 Players Hawks Could Select in 2019 NBA Draft
By Chris Guest
#8 — R.J. Barrett, Freshman, Duke
One of the most polarizing players in college basketball this year, R.J. Barrett was the #1 prospect coming out of high school ahead of this college season. Reddish was second and Zion was third. Then, the season started, Duke obliterated Kentucky, and everyone realized that Williamson was a generational prospect and Barrett was “just” a very good one.
Fast-forward to now and you have the Duke Blue Devils bowing out of the NCAA Tournament due, in no small part, to Barrett’s tunnel vision getting to the rim as well as his inability to feed Zion in the post – or Coach K’s lack of adjustments to somehow manage to get Zion the ball.
Still though, R.J. Barrett flashed a ton of upside this season for Duke, and if he can improve his inconsistent three-point shooting (30.8 percent on over 6 attempts a game), Barrett would be a terrific fit on the Atlanta Hawks.
With great size, length and a ferocious competitive drive that might’ve led to some of his more noticeable gaffes without Zion, Barrett is definitely a can’t-miss prospect. Clearly, he’s not as can’t-miss as some others before him, but his drive and laser-focus on winning is something that would certainly be contagious – and would fit in with Trae Young’s “chip on his shoulder” style of playing.