WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 31: RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts 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)
In a move that surprised no one, Duke freshman RJ Barrett declared for the NBA Draft where he’s expected to be a top-3 pick.
RJ Barrett is one and done at Duke, declaring for the 2019 NBA Draft, in a move that was expected before he even arrived on campus.
In a video posted on his Twitter, Barrett thanked God, his family, and his coaches for helping him “reach this decision.” He sent a ton of love to the “Duke Crazies” and said that he would look forward to coming back to Durham to support the Blue Devils.
But the time has come for him to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA, and with Barrett projected to be a top-3 pick, it was a pretty easy choice for him to make, as he will be making millions taking his talent to the pros.
In a lot of ways, this was the worst kept secret in the world.
It was a known fact that Barrett and Zion Williamson would only play one season at Duke, and then make a splash in the NBA, so his decision to turn pro today was really as expected. It’s also kind of sobering not just for Duke fans, but for college basketball as a whole.
This is what the “one-and-done” has wrought college basketball, superstar talent that plays only one season of college ball, and then immediately turn pro. It’s like a revolving door that the NCAA has to fix, either by finally giving players a stipend to entice them to stay in school longer, or mirroring college football’s rule of making players stay in college until their junior years.
Either way, college basketball has to figure out a way to keep the next Barrett and Zion from skipping out so early.