Rick Barry (SF)

[Berlin]

Name: Rick Barry
Position: SF
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 210 lbs
DOB: 3/28/1994

www.abcalegends.com/players/player624.htm

Pros: At only 20 years of age, Rick Barry is blessed with an abundance of physical gifts, having the height, quickness and jumping ability to make an immediate impact at arguably the weakest position in the league from day one. With a surprisingly polished all-around game for someone of his age, Barry's greatest assets might be that his relative lack of weaknesses. Barry should be able to start from day one and contribute on both ends of the court.

Cons: While Barry should be able to contribute early, his game will take a couple years to reach the next level (but what rookie's doesn't?). Barry has no sense for rebounding the ball on the offensive side of the court and doesn't seem to know how to get a block, even though at 6'7" he is taller than many other small forwards. Still, these are minor issues in the grand scheme of things.

Overall: In a draft pool that is relatively deep but has no standout pick for #1, Barry could easily find himself picked anywhere in the first few selections. He has position scarcity in this favor, but more than that, Rick Barry is likely the safest of the draft picks in this year's draft.

Projection: Pick 1-3

[Detroit]

Rick Barry | SF | 6'7" | 210 lbs | 3/28/1994

Player Profile: www.abcalegends.com/players/player624.htm

Strengths
Possesses a solid spatial acumen when deciding what to do on offense...always makes the right reads and puts his teammates in good positions...blessed as a physical specimen possessing scorching speed for someone his size and good strength, jumping ability, and stamina...will need to work on conditioning to play 40+ minutes a night upon reaching the ABCA...his greatest asset is his finishing ability in the paint...doesn't get blocked or inhibited from getting a good look at the basket due to the variety of up & unders, scoop shots, and floaters in his arsenal...has great form on his jump shot and will become a weapon for him once his conditioning picks up...

Weaknesses
Will never be a point-forward due to mediocre ball-handling skills...as a rebounder, he doesn't put in the effort that's required of him and tends to give up offensive boards way too often...doesn't even bother trying to pick up offensive boards....despite his excellent length and good athleticism, he does not get his hands on any shot attempts, even on smaller offensive players...

Summary
Despite being a highly talented player and worthy candidate of the #1 overall selection in this year's draft, there are serious questions as to whether Barry will develop into a franchise player.  A more likely scenario is he develops into the primary scorer for a team, but will need a great supporting cast to achieve success for his team due to the lack of a stellar all-around game and mediocre two-way ability.

Comparison
Elgin Baylor - www.abcalegends.com/players/player56.htm

Projection
1-2

[Drew]

Name: Rick Barry
Position: SF
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 210 lbs
DOB: 3/28/1994

www.abcalegends.com/players/player624.htm

Pros: In many ways Barry is this year's John Havlicek. At just 20 years of age, he's a bit under developed compared to some of the other prospects but the sky is the limit for him when it comes to potential. Many scouts view him as a future scoring machine, the likes of which has rarely been seen in the league thus far. He's also a master free throw shooter, with his famous unorthodox 'granny' shot style. Barry also has a knack for getting his hand on the ball defensively, and should develop into a very nice stealer with due time. There's a lot to be excited about when it comes to Barry, but whether he pans out the way some are hoping is yet to be seen.

Cons: As mentioned before Barry is a very raw project player with mountains of potential. Don't expect him to drop Oscar Robertson type of numbers from the get go. Not a great rebounder, especially on the offensive end where he rarely follows up his shots, perhaps expecting them to all drop for him. Range is limited to inside the 3 point range, which is a bit of a disappointment coming from a scoring SF. Defensively a bit of a liability as of right now.

Overall: Before we started to see scouts ratings of the draft class most had Barry ranked #1 with a bullet, but now things are starting to change. Talks out of many camps have Reed, Thurmond and even Belov going higher than Barry. Time will tell as to who will be the true #1.

Projection: Pick 1-3