The New York Knicks have been through a lot and more often than not, those players that were supposed to turn the franchise around have failed to live up to that task. Hopefully, that won’t be the case with RJ Barrett, one of the most expected prospects in NBA history, and a young man that’s slowly but steadily improving. Barrett has paid his dues and embraced a leadership role at the Madison Square Garden and the crowd has welcomed him with open arms as well. In this article, we’re going to talk about the former third-overall pick and let you know why he’s poised for stardom.
RJ Barrett – Early Life
RJ Barrett was born in Toronto, Ontario; to former basketball player Rowan Barrett and Kesha Duhaney, a highly-touted track, and field athlete. Due to his father’s career, Barrett grew up in France, attending French school while learning English at home. He moved countries quite often early in his life but his father’s career also led him to a big interest and passion for basketball from a young age.
Following his father’s retirement, the Barretts settled in Mississauga, Ontario. The young RJ was a gifted and versatile athlete, running track and excelling at football and high jump as well. However, he gave up all other sports at 12 years old to focus entirely on hoops to one day become a professional basketball player, working on his craft with his dad and his grandfather.
Thanks to their guidance, Barrett quickly rose in the local rankings, earning MVP honors at Missisagauga French elementary school despite squaring off against older rivals. He played for the Regional Elite Development Academy (REDA)’s U-12 AAU circuit, often squaring off against U.S. teams. At the ripe age of 12, the Ontario Basketball Association deemed him the best player in his age group, joining the Ontario provincial team and training with the Canada Basketball junior academy. He played primarily as a point guard but could also shift off the ball.
RJ Barrett – High School Years
RJ Barrett’s high school career was spectacular and perfect. He was the first player since LeBron James to sweep all major awards and also lead his team to a national championship, which is a lot to say. His days as a student-athlete started at St. Marcellinus Secondary School in Mississauga, where he was named MVP of the Guy Vetrie Memorial tournament after a 41-point performance and a game-winning shot for his school.
Barrett was ready for a bigger challenge already so he transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida for his sophomore year, having his first big game during a loss to Chino Hills at the City of Palms Classic quarterfinal. He was invited to attend the 2016 Jordan Brand Classic International Game, where he earned MVP honors with 22 points and eight rebounds.
Next season, he picked up things right where he left them, leading his team to the City of Palms Classic title and Spalding Hoophall Classic title as well. He was also selected for the World Select Team of the Nike Hoop Summit, scoring nine points in limited playing time. His final season only brought more success and recognition, attending the Signature All-Canadian Showcase.
Stealing all headlines with a 29-point explosion against The Rock School. He also took part in the Basketball Buddies Program of Montverde Academy, showing great leadership by mentoring younger hoopers. Then, he was ready for his college basketball and the Duke Blue Devils.
RJ Barrett – Days At Duke
Barrett’s college career was highly anticipated and the Duke Blue Devils boasted the best class in the nation. With Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish, they were expected to dominate all the way to the NCAA tournament and lead the Duke Blue Devils to their first national title since 2014. Barrett broke Duke’s record for a freshman debut with a 33-point performance in a game against Kentucky, giving a glimpse of what was to come. He later got the fourth triple-double in Duke Blue Devils’ history, recording 23 points, 11 boards, and 10 dimes against North Carolina State. Unfortunately, with Zion Williamson out with an injury, Duke fell short in the Tournament, and Barrett declared for the 2019 NBA Draft.
RJ Barrett – Entering the NBA: Scouting Report
It’s not a secret that NBA scouting reports are often way off but that wasn’t the case with Barrett. While he’s far from his ceiling and the comparisons to Kobe Bryant are far-fetched, his basketball skills make him a promising prospect. Barrett also drew comparisons to players like Khris Middleton and Danny Granger thanks to his length and ability to drive and score from all three levels. Also, he could change directions with ease and his body control was elite for such a young player, according to most recruiting services.
RJ Barrett – The New Hope Of The New York Knicks
Barrett drew plenty of praise while attending Duke, so the New York Knicks didn’t hesitate to take them with the 3rd-overall pick. With Kristaps Porzingis already gone, they expected him to become their first true franchise player since Carmelo Anthony.
There, the shooting guard showcased his skills from the start of the preseason games all the way through his rookie year. Barett was often overlooked by Zion Williamson’s hype. Even so, his solid performances granted him a spot in the NBA All-Star Weekend, playing for Team World in the Rising Stars game before the All-Star Game.
Julius Randle’s presence on the New York Knicks has taken the spotlight away from RJ Barrett, but he was still one of the biggest reasons why they were so successful during the 2020-21 regular season, averaging 17.6 points. 5.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. Now, he’s finally finding his groove again after a rough start to his third season, always focusing on the next game and not on what happened in the past.
RJ Barrett – Career Highs
RJ Barrett continues to get better as the years go by, so it’s only natural to see that his career highs are also higher with every season that goes by. Thus far, his career-high for most points scored in a game is 35. He’s also grabbed 15 rebounds, handed out nine assists, piled up six steals, and blocked two shots. His career-high for three-pointers made in one NBA game is 7, while he’s also turned the ball over a maximum of seven times in his career. In the 2021-22 season, he topped his career-best for most minutes played with 47:03.
RJ Barrett – National Team Career
Besides his success in high school and college hoops, Barrett made a name for himself for his contributions to the Canadian national team. He was the youngest player on their u16 team in 2015 but still managed to lead the team in scoring with nearly 15 points per game. Later in 2016, he earned All-World Cup U17 Second Team honors after averaging over 18 points and 4 boards per game in the U17 FIBA World Cup.
Barrett was only getting started, though, as he broke out with a 38-point, 13-rebound, 5-assists outburst to lead the U19 team to the final in the World Cup, scoring 18 points with 12 boards in the final to lead his team to the gold medal. He was also the tournament’s leading scorer (21.6), was named to the World Cup’s All-Star Five, and earned Most Valuable Player honors as well. The very next year, Barrett made his debut for Canada’s senior team.
RJ Barrett – Awards And Accolades
Even though he hasn’t been around for that long, RJ Barrett has found plenty of success in his brief career. He was named a McDonald’s All-American, was the National High School Player of the Year, made All-ACC First Team, the ACC All-Freshman Team, won the Jerry West Award, and was a consensus First-Team All-American. He also helped the Canadian team win the gold medal in the 2017 FIBA U17 World Cup in Egypt and the silver medal in the 2015 U15 FIBA World Cup in Argentina.
RJ Barrett – Canada Basketball: A Bright Present And Better Future
Despite their long tradition with hockey, basketball continues to grow in Canada, taking more players to the NBA every year. With stars like Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, Canada has one of the most promising squads in the world. Besides Barrett and the aforementioned, they also have Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Olynyk, Dillon Brooks, Lu Dortz, and Brandon Clarke.
Is RJ Barrett related to Steve Nash?
Having an NBA legend such as Nash mentoring you can certainly do wonders. That was the case with the young RJ Barrett, as Nash is a close friend of his father and also his godfather. They’ve trained together since a young age, and the Phoenix Suns legend made sure to polish Barrett’s offensive repertoire long before he was one of the most promising Canadian prospects in history. Maybe, Barrett’s career will also end in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, becoming the second Canadian to earn that distinction after his godfather did it in 2020.
What is RJ Barrett’s salary?
Being the third overall pick of the NBA Draft, RJ Barrett had the chance to sign quite an interesting deal right out of the gate. The Knicks signed him to a 4-year, $35,596,275 million contract with $16,071,720 guaranteed and an average salary of $8,899,069. He made $7,839,960 in his rookie season; $8,231,760 in his second year, and $8,623,920 in his third season. He’s eligible for a max contract extension worth $181M over five years next season. If not, he’ll make $10,900,635 next year and will be eligible for a $14,301,633 Qualifying Offer for the 2023-24 season.
What is RJ Barrett’s real name?
RJ Barrett’s real name is Rowan Alexander Barrett Jr. He was named after his father Rowan Barrett. His father wasn’t only a professional hooper but also the former Executive Vice President and GM of Canada’s basketball association.
