Golden State Warriors Season Preview: Harrison Barnes
By Eric He
Based on predictions and expectations, perhaps no player disappointed more last season on the Warriors than Harrison Barnes.
After starting 81 games in his rookie season and becoming what some considered to be a budding star, Barnes struggled in a bench role last season and wound up regressing into a “sophomore slump.”
He is, however, just 22 years old, and his best years are far ahead of him.
What he does well
Barnes is a slasher. He is at his best when he is driving to the rim, attacking the basket and at least drawing a foul when he doesn’t finish. He is a high-flyer, a rim-rocker, and can flat-out wow you with his dunks (R.I.P Nikola Pekovic):
This is where he excels — driving to the rim at full-speed — and it’s up to the coaching staff to design plays where he will be given that chance.
Barnes is also adequate at the mid-range jumper and perimeter shooting, but the issue is that Mark Jackson overused Barnes in this regard. Barnes is capable of posting up and finishing on an isolation play when matched up against a smaller defender, as we saw in the 2012-2013 playoffs when he was guarded by Ty Lawson and Tony Parker. He can make the occasional three, but that should not be his go-to shot.
Jackson did not play to Barnes’ strengths, and it is my hope that Kerr recognizes that and puts Barnes in the best possible position for him to excel.
What he needs to improve on
While it may be true that Jackson called isolations plays for Barnes way too often, Barnes needs to be more aggressive and drive to the rim as opposed to settle for outside jumpers.
Barnes, to be honest, looked lost and out of sorts on offense last season. He was supposed to anchor the second unit and be the spark plug the sixth man, but wound up looking invisible at times and contributed to the severe lack of scoring on the Warriors’ bench.
Perhaps Barnes is not the type of player who can take a defender one-on-one. Perhaps he needs a screen, or a specific play-call tailored his way. Whatever the case, the coaching staff needs to provide him with it — maybe it’s putting him in the starting lineup so that he can benefit from playing with Stephen Curry and Co. — because Barnes is that good and has so much potential.
Best case scenario
Kerr creates a killer system, just the right fit offensively for Barnes. He either starts and picks up right where he left off during his rookie season or he comes off the bench and leads the second unit, like he was supposed to do last season.
Barnes fully utilizes his strength and becomes more aggressive in driving to the rim, producing several nightly highlight-reel dunks. He also improves his jump-shot and three-point shooting, adding more to his repertoire.
Worst case scenario
Barnes continues his decline and does not fit in with Kerr. He continues to launch ill-advised perimeter shots instead of attacking the basket. Controversy erupts over whether he or Andre Iguodala should start, which just confuses and sets back the young Barnes even further. Management dangles him as trade bait at the deadline.
Predicted stat line (averages)
13.4 points, 1.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds: Barnes breaks out under Kerr and takes the next step in progressing into a star player.