Golden State Warriors: 5 Things Klay Thompson Needs To Work On

5. Develop With Harrison Barnes

May 14, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) defends Golden State Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes (40) in the third quarter in game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the AT

Harrison Barnes is the true miracle story of the Warriors’ postseason.

The 21-year-old was thrust into the spotlight when David Lee was injured in Game 1 of Round 1. The rookie stepped into his role with the calm and nonchalance he is now famous for, and continued to average 16 points and six rebounds a game for the postseason.

What does this have to do with Klay Thompson?

Barnes outperformed Thompson in nearly every facet during the playoffs, even with less minutes. This became especially clear in the series against San Antonio, as Barnes grew more and confident and demonstrated his offensive capability, while Thompson grew colder and colder. At a certain point, it was clear that Thompson was hurting the team by taking shots away from Barnes and Curry. Although the sophomore swingman was clearly and rightfully the second scoring option during the regular season, Barnes showed that consistently during crunch time, he was the better scorer.

The implication of this is that going forward, perhaps Thompson and Barnes should become an even second scoring option to Curry. In any case, the competition for that second spot will lead to better play from both of them.