Title: Canadian Summer League scouting reports: Barrett shakes off rough start, Clarke and Alexander-Walker shine
Date: July 16, 2019
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I wrote brief scouting and progress reports on all of the Canadians who participated in Summer League.
LAS VEGAS – As it turns out, a pair of Summer League games might not be the concluding sample on a prospect’s outlook.
It looked bad for R.J. Barrett after two appearances. In his Summer League debut opposite Duke teammate Zion Williamson, the No. 3 overall pick shot terribly from the field and made a number of shaky decisions, ultimately having his night cut short by an earthquake. The stats don’t register for that game, as it was never completed, but they were unsightly – 4-for-18 shooting, one assist to two turnovers and a minus-14 mark. A follow-up against the Suns was even worse, to the tune of eight points on 3-for-15 shooting and a disastrous eight turnovers with just a single assist.
All the fears about Barrett’s game were laid bare. He wasn’t a willing enough playmaker, he was too willing to accept inefficient mid-range shots and his “Maple Mamba” mentality did more harm than good because he doesn’t yet possess the finishing ability or decision-making capability to justify a heavy usage workload.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 