On Friday In The NBA, It’s Crosstown Devils In New York

RJ, meet Kyrie

Although people have questioned his shooting, in general, NBA types have been impressed with former Blue Devil RJ Barrett as he begins to make his way in professional basketball.

There’s no slow stuff though and on Friday he’ll get introduced - competitively anyway - to the Brooklyn Nets and fellow Brotherhood member Kyrie Irving.

You know, the guy who racked up 50 on opening night and nearly pulled off a circus shot to win the game that required body control, spacial awareness and a sense of the moment that only the most elite have.

Game 2, RJ!

The thing is, there just aren’t many off nights. The worst player in the NBA is really good. Everyone there was the best player at some level and other than the occasional big stiff, and those are getting pretty rare, the difference between levels is really not that much. If most of us are (or were) in the bottom 20 percent athletically, those guys are all in the 99th percentile or higher. They live on a knife’s edge competitively. Even the absolute elite like Irving have to constantly hone their edge to stay sharp. And that’s one reason why we expect great things from Barrett: the guy works hard.