This pick isn’t a guarantee, but it would be surprising to see the Knicks pass up on R.J. Barrett with the third overall pick. Barrett has All-Star upside and has the guts/will to be a top guy in a big market like New York, even as a rookie.
Prior to the start of the 2018-19 college basketball season, Barrett was considered by many, including myself, to be the favorite to go first overall in the draft. Obviously his teammate, Zion Williamson, changed things with his jaw-dropping play, but that shouldn’t take anything away from Barrett and what he has accomplished.
Barrett averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists for Duke this past season as a freshman. His shooting from the perimeter isn’t well polished just yet, but he has all the makings to be a deadly scorer in the NBA.
On top of all that, Barrett flat out said that he wants to be drafted by New York and won’t be working out for any other team except for New York prior to the draft. The Knicks were the favorites to land the first overall pick, but they should be satisfied with landing a potential star in Barrett with the third overall pick.