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Chicago Bulls: RJ Barrett “tanking” NBA Draft stock

By Andrew Miller

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils inbounds the ball in the second half against the Michigan State Spartans during the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional Final at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils inbounds the ball in the second half against the Michigan State Spartans during the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional Final at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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The rise for the 2018 Duke signing class fell short for Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and co. in the NCAA Tournament thanks to Michigan State.

If you had asked any big NBA fan two months who encompassed the top three prospects for this draft class, most would include the Duke Blue Devils former five-star signee shooting guard RJ Barrett. That could be a different storyline now between RJ Barrett and some of the top prospects that are being looked at from teams in the lottery, like the Chicago Bulls.

This wasn’t the greatest way that RJ Barrett could show out in the NCAA Tournament for the Blue Devils. He had the biggest opportunity of his freshman campaign to prove his value at the top of the lottery ahead of the 2019 NBA Draft. The same could be said for another fellow former Duke five-star 2018 signee Cam Reddish.

The natural talent and skill set of Barrett and Reddish both should make NBA scouts salivate. The issue is that neither consistently lived up to that billing with Duke this season.

RJ Barrett did have a nice run for himself in the absence of superstar Duke forward Zion Williamson during the stretch run of ACC play. That is a factor that NBA scouts, including the Bulls, can look back at in a positive light. He showed a good ability to command the floor and create his own looks while Zion was out of the lineup after the knee injury he suffered from a broken shoe against the North Carolina Tar Heels at home.

However, the NCAA Tournament tends to be such a crucial time for top NBA prospects to prove themselves that RJ Barrett definitely did himself a disservice by coming out with some inconsistent performances. Ultimately, Duke wound up falling short in the Elite Eight against the Michigan State Spartans by just one point in an instant classic.

In that Elite Eight loss to Michigan State, Barrett did show up better than he did in the narrow Sweet 16 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies. Barrett registered 21 points and, six rebounds, and six assists, while shooting just over 41 percent from the floor against Michigan State. In the win over Virginia Tech, he managed 18 points on 0-7 shooting from beyond the arc.

Duke needed better out of both RJ Barrett and Reddish in the “Big Dance”. Considering the talent level of both, and some sparks during the regular season, each could’ve played better and more consistent during the NCAA Tournament.

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As a result, it appears that Murray State point guard Ja Morant has clearly moved into the second slot among all the players projected to go in the 2019 NBA Draft. Morant is the ideal target for the Bulls behind Zion, and Barrett is likely falling down draft boards. ESPN now has Barrett and Vanderbilt point guard Darius Garland vying for the third spot on its 2019 NBA Draft prospect rankings.

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