Harrison Barnes Continues to Work On His Game… With Jerry West! (VIDEO)

It’s been almost a month since the Golden State Warriors took home their fourth title in franchise history, and almost a month since Harrison Barnes had his first alcoholic drink. While other stars and players may be enjoying their time off, Barnes was shown in a video as working on his game with his trainer, and Warriors’ consultant and former Los Angeles Lakers’ great Jerry West.

If you can get past the horrible purple and gold court surroundings, you’ll see just how hard Barnes works.

After his disastrous sophomore season, Barnes told “The Champs” podcast that he had been working hard on his rebounding and improving his size. He felt as though he wasn’t as strong as some of the other NBA forwards were, and that he should have been contributing more on the glass for the Warriors.

Well, he improved last year, especially shooting-wise. But that hasn’t stopped Barnes from finding more ways to improve. From the video, we can see that Barnes is working on his offensive game, specifically, finding ways to create his own shot.

One of the biggest criticisms I (and many other Warriors’ fans) had regarding Barnes was his indecisiveness at times. For a player so explosive and talented, Barnes should be attacking the rim with more regularity. However, he often settles for a perimeter shot or passes what could have been an easy scoring option for him.

Jerry West is seen in the video as telling Barnes that if he can perfect his drive, stop and shoot motion, it can be an unstoppable move for him. Thing is, West isn’t exaggerating – with Barnes’ speed and explosiveness, his first step can throw people off and if he can stop on a dime, he creates even more separation. Barnes shot 41.9 percent last year in the zone West was telling him to attack, and with West’s advice, that efficiency could improve.

West’s quick tidbit of “using the glass if you’re at that angle” before answering his call was indicative of just how much of a basketball genius he is – Barnes attempted the exact same shot, kissed it off the glass and went in. That’s what happens when you take advice from Jerry West, one of the best two-guards of all-time in the NBA, who shot 47.4 percent from the field for his CAREER.

Another gem was when West couldn’t stop gushing over Barnes. “Oh yeah, oh yeah. What an improvement! Unbelievable! And I’m not saying that just because you’re here. You’ve come a long way, kid.”

This bodes well for the team’s future. Despite winning his first ring and having plenty of reason to “take it easy”, Barnes can be seen working hard on his game.

Not bad for a “scrub”.

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