2019 NBA Draft: Full Mock Draft 2.0, Atlanta Hawks Pick #4 and #10, Lakers Win Lottery
By Chris Guest
#3. Cleveland Cavaliers – R.J. Barrett
R.J. Barrett of Duke University is a worthy #2 overall pick behind the brilliance of Zion, but in this draft, the Suns scoop up the apple of their eye in Morant – meaning that Barrett falls to third, where the Cleveland Cavaliers will have their next big star.
It seems reasonable to project that Barrett’s ability to get to the rim with his quickness, large frame and ability to carve out space with his body will translate to the NBA, though he will have to work on his jump shot if he truly wants to reach his potential.
Despite only shooting 30.8 percent from deep on a whopping 237 attempts from downtown, Barrett is still a box score-stuffing offensive hub who has excellent passing ability that showed in his 23.5 assist percentage (10th in the ACC) and 164 overall assists (3rd in the ACC).
Sure, Barrett might’ve sometimes suffered from tunnel vision going to the basket – notably in the team’s final game of the season in the NCAA Tournament when they were ousted by Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans in the Elite Eight – but when Barrett wasn’t looking off his teammates, he was making spectacular between-the-legs passes for the win:
While Barrett has lost some of his shine after coming into the 2018-19 season as the most highly regarded prospect in his class, he is still a fine consolation prize at 3rd overall.