Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson must love the prospect of having to play alongside Duke Blue Devils star freshman and fellow Canadian RJ Barrett in the future. That’s a fair thing to say after the Cavs center went on Twitter to give props to Barrett’s performance Tuesday in Duke’s 90-69 win in Durham over the visiting Indiana Hoosiers for an ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup.
As usual, Barrett, together with fellow Blue Devils manchild Zion Williamson ripped apart their opponents. Barrett finished the game with 22 points, nine rebounds, and assist, a steal, and a couple of blocks in 27 minutes of action. Williamson, meanwhile, paced both teams with 25 points to go along with six rebounds and four dimes in 29 minutes.
It was a nice bounce-back victory for Duke, which slid down to No. 3 in the latest AP Poll standings after getting upset by Rui Hachimura and the Gonzaga Bulldogs last week in Hawaii.
Barrett is a tantalizing collegiate talent expected to go high in next year’s NBA Draft. Considering that the Cavs are playing like they’re going to wallow near the bottom of the standings for the rest of the season, there’s a significant possibility that they’ll land a top-five pick in 2019.
After a tough stretch, the Blue Devils will face the lowly Stetson Hatters at home this Saturday before taking on the Hartford Hawks next week.
For Thompson and the Cavs, they will eye to recover from a 102-95 loss on Monday to the Minnesota Timberwolves when they pay the Oklahoma City Thunder a visit Wednesday.