RJ Barrett is projected to be the No. 3 pick to the Knicks in next month's NBA draft. And one Knicks legend is high on him.
Former Knicks great Bernard King said he believes Barrett, the former Duke forward, has the skills and the potential to succeed at the NBA level.
"He's a tremendous talent with an all-around game,'' King told the New York Post's Marc Berman. "He could put the ball on the floor and has a high basketball IQ. He runs the floor very well and he's a good scorer. Today basketball is positionless. You can have two guys on the floor like Barrett and Kevin (Knox)."
King is not alone in that sentiment. Scouts told SNY's Ian Begley how they believe Barrett would play well alongside Knox, last year's No. 9 pick. And Steve Nash, who is Barrett's godfather, also praised Barrett.
"He's got such an incredible skillset that we forget he's 18 years old for a few more weeks," Nash said. "He's got a big upside and he's going to have a big effect on the NBA game, I think. I think he'll develop into a guy who can guard multiple players. But he's definitely a ballhandling wing, somebody who can play the point, the 2 or the 3. ... I think he'll be an exciting player for Knicks fans."
A 6-foot-7, 202-pound forward, averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 38 games for the Blue Devils, who finished the season in the Elite Eight despite having a freshman class that also featured future lottery picks Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish.
Though Williamson is projected to go No. 1 to the New Orleans Pelicans and Murray State guard Ja Morant is projected to go second to the Memphis Grizzlies, the expectation is the Knicks will pick Barrett third overall.
One former Knicks executive went so far as to say, "They better pick him if he's there."
With the draft less than a month away, the clock is ticking.