R.J. Barrett announced on Wednesday that he will be leaving Duke and heading to the NBA draft.
In his one season in Durham, Barrett averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 boards and 4.0 assists, becoming the first high-major player since Anfernee Hardaway to do that.
Barrett is likely going to end up being a top three pick in this year’s draft, and while there are some valid concerns about him as a player -- specifically, he is an inconsistent shooter that is left-hand dominant, hunts his shots a bit too often and not as quick as would be ideal -- but part of what makes him so appealing is that his intangibles are off the charts. One source close to Barrett told NBC Sports that he has the same determination to be great that guys like Kobe Bryant and Kawhi Leonard do.
“He’ll figure out a way to be great,” he said.