GARRETT ELLW
OO
D/N
BAE/GETTY IM
AGES (ALEXAN
DER-W
ALKER, CLARKE, KABEN
GELE)
workout with his skills coach, Drew Hanlen,
they got into an extended dispute over a
recent game of one-on-one. At the end his
trainer joked, “Oh, man, the things a
Canadian has to do to get a win over an
American.” At which point Barrett threw up
his hands, and brought up the 2017 under-
FIBA World Cup, in which he scored
38 points as Canada beat the U.S. en route
to a gold medal.
Hanlen and Barrett still have a lot to work
on. Their priorities are to make Barrett’s shot
more consistent, to make him shiftier in
transition, and to improve his balance. Still,
Barrett’s ability to make plays for teammates
and score at the rim will likely make him
more dangerous in the NBA than he was
at Duke.
As he sat on the Ferris wheel at the Santa
Monica Pier, Barrett talked about
expectations and pressure. The kid who
earned comparisons with LeBron James as
a high schooler dismissed the notion that
life as a prodigy has been a burden. “It
makes basketball more fun,” he said. As for
the work it took to get this far, he laughed
remembering seventh-grade workouts before
school, the way he begged his father to let
him stay in bed but then showed up every
day to continue working his way through the
whiteboard. “It wasn’t easy,” he said. “But
now I get to live the life that I want.” n
MAPLE MAGIC
Six Canadians were selected in the 2019 NBA draft, the most from
any country other than the U.S. in a single year. Four of those
players, including Barrett, were first-round picks.
MFIONDU
KABENGELE
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
A native of Burlington, Ontario,
and the nephew of Hall of
Famer Dikembe Mutombo,
Kabengele led Florida State
in scoring last year, despite
averaging just 21.6 minutes
per game. The Clips took him
with the 27th overall pick,
where he’ll provide valuable
frontcourt depth.
BRANDON CLARKE
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Clarke made an immediate
impact in his lone season at
Gonzaga after transferring from
San Jose State, becoming the
Zags’ all-time single-season
blocks leader, with 117. He was
also a third-team All-America.
Originally from Vancouver,
the 6' 8" forward profiles as a
defensive specialist who can also
slam home big-time dunks.
NICKEIL
ALEXANDER-
WALKER
NEW ORLEANS
PELICANS
The Toronto native joins
his cousin, Thunder guard
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, in
the NBA this season. Last
season, as a sophomore
at Virginia Tech, Alexander-
Walker led the Hokies with
16.2 points.
SIKIDS.COM / 19
