New York Knicks: Stars will come to NYC even without Zion

Zion wasn’t the top high school recruit

Believe it or not, the Toronto native, RJ Barrett was ranked higher than Williamson coming out of Monteverde Academy High School only seven months ago. At that time, it was believed Barrett would go first overall come this June. The 6-7, 205-pound forward has some serious potential and could definitely make for a great sidekick alongside a pair of superstars such as Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant.

Barrett averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists this season for Duke, won numerous awards and set several records for the Blue Devils. These stats are even more impressive considering the fact that he was sharing the ball with two top-10 picks this season (Williamson and Cam Reddish) and two more potential NBA players Marques Bolden, and Tre Jones.

At crunch time it was Barrett, not Williamson that Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski drew up plays for. His cool demeanor in the clutch is something every team desires, especially the New York Knicks.

With this in mind, RJ Barrett still has the potential to help out the Knicks in a very large way before he even hits the court in a Knicks uniform. His dynamic star power will be a drawing card for free agents who want a shot to win in the NBA’s most demanding market.