Harrison Barnes: The Conundrum and the Real “Catch-22”

By Greg Chin | Mar 19, 2015

Life in the NBA as a lottery pick can be difficult. Immediately, expectations are cast upon them, especially for those that carry the future of the franchise with them. Some don’t live up to expectations, causing fans to turn on them. While others crash and burn under the bright lights and the heavy burden they carry, never to reach their full potential.

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While it’s still too early to call Harrison Barnes a “bust”, his experience as an NBA player so far has consisted of multiple ups and downs.

Coming out of high school, Barnes was listed as the number 1 player in the class of 2010. He won the Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award (the nation’s top player) in 2010, and was a highly recruited college player. When he chose the University of North Carolina, he drew comparisons to another famous Tar Heel, Michael Jordan.

He impressed in college, but wasn’t able to build on his former number 1 status. The Golden State Warriors drafted him with the seventh pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and was immediately thrust into the starting lineup.

His rookie season wasn’t anything to write home about: he averaged 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and shot 43.9 percent from the floor. He showed promise, and his athleticism and motor was a great asset moving forward. However, he was no better than a typical NBA player, as evidenced by his -0.2 value over replacement player.

He did however; break out in the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets. Used as a small-ball power forward, he spread the floor with his three-point shooting (35.9 percent) and attacked the rim against slower forwards. He helped guide the Warriors past the Nuggets in an upset, and that led many to believe that he would someday be a star in the league.

However, he, like many other rookies before him, suffered the dreaded “sophomore slump”. Coach Mark Jackson utilised him as the team’s sixth man and gave him free reign over the second unit. He was called upon to lead the second unit’s offense, and under the pressure of being the number one guy, he wilted. His per-game stats barely increased despite an uptick in minutes, and his per-36 minute stats dropped.

He spent the offseason working on his craft, especially increasing his strength to help his rebounding numbers. New coach Steve Kerr mentioned in the offseason that he could start Barnes, in an attempt to help him regain his confidence. It was clear that Barnes wasn’t ready to lead an offense by himself, and Kerr preferred him as the secondary/tertiary option alongside bigger offensive threats.

However, despite putting up career highs in points, rebounds, and shooting percentages, you can’t help but feel as though Barnes is still underperforming.

It’s a real Catch-22: Barnes’ role on the team is to spread the floor, play defense and attack the boards. In that regard, he’s doing reasonably well – he’s shooting 41.3 percent from behind the arc (59.2 percent from the left corner) and averages 4.1 rebounds per game.

But, at the same time, there is so much more to expect from Barnes. He averages 1.7 drives per game, has the second lowest defensive rating on the team (104 points per 100 possessions), and hasn’t quite lived up to his college and high school billing.

Last night against the Atlanta Hawks, he scored 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting and had four rebounds. It was the sort of performance the Warriors needed with Klay Thompson out of the lineup. One of the knocks against the Warriors is that they lack a third consistent scorer – something that could harm them in the playoffs. Theoretically, Barnes is supposed to fill that role: a knockdown shooter thriving as the defense is focused on containing the Splash Brothers.

Theoretically, Barnes is supposed to fill that role: a knockdown shooter thriving as the defense is focused on containing the Splash Brothers.

However, can you objectively say that Barnes has successfully fulfilled that role?

In an ideal world, Barnes should be the third-highest scorer on the team. If on any given night, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were to be locked down by opposing defenses, Barnes should be able to step in and fill the scoring need.

Mar 8, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes (40) attempts to dribble past Los Angeles Clippers forward

Hedo Turkoglu

(15) in the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 106-89. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

But, in reality, Barnes averages just eight field goal attempts per game and hasn’t been able to consistently put up double-digit scoring games. Is his low number of attempts a product of the offense or is it his reluctance to shoot? If given the opportunity to do so, could Barnes take over scoring duties and be “the Man” for the night? Do the Warriors even need him to do so?

And that, right there, is the conundrum.

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The Warriors have been so dominant this season, and their 2^nd ranked offense is thriving behind Curry, Thompson, and the emergence of Draymond Green. They haven’t needed to rely on Barnes as a consistent scoring option, and he’s flown under the radar as the Warriors continue winning.

But what happens when the winning stops? Or when the scoring dries up? Can Barnes step up then?

The next few games (sans Klay) will be key in answering these questions. The opportunity is there for the taking.

Next: To Rest or Not to Rest?

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