Harrison Barnes Sparks Warriors To Stay Unbeaten

Tomorrow you will hear of the greatness of Stephen Curry leading the Golden State Warriors to their fifth straight victory to start the season. But the win wasn’t as straightforward as their previous wins – the Warriors were struggling in the 4th quarter, trailing the Los Angeles Clippers by 10 points and looking like they would drop their first game of the season. The Warriors needed a spark and Harrison Barnes provided it.

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The Warriors were down ten with eight minutes left in regulation, looking lethargic at both ends of the floor, in danger of dropping their first game of the season. They decided to go to their small-ball lineup with Draymond Green at center and Barnes at the power forward. The move paid immediate dividends with Barnes hitting a running floater to cut the Clippers’ lead to 8.

The Warriors’ small lineup re-energized the team and gave them mismatches all over the floor. The Clippers frontcourt of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin had to deal with Green and Barnes – two quicker perimeter players that have the ability to hit the three. Through ball movement, the Warriors took advantage with Barnes hitting a wide open corner three when Griffin laid off him, cutting the deficit to six.

After another stop, Barnes struck again but this time from the other corner on a beautiful bounce pass from Klay Thompson, hitting the three and cutting the Clippers lead to three. Early in the season, Barnes was struggling with his shot, only making one three in the first four games but with the small lineup, Barnes was able to get better looks, especially with Curry struggling through three quarters with his own shot against the Clippers. It was no surprise that Barnes hit two corner threes in the Warriors comeback because that was his sweet spot last season.

The “small ball” four position may be where Barnes thrives the most. It was definitely the case when he stormed onto the NBA scene with his breakout rookie postseason performance against the Denver Nuggets in 2013. He was a matchup nightmare for the Nuggets as the Warriors able to spread the floor and run them out of the gym in their upset series victory.

Barnes, now in his fourth year, is much more mature and confident in his game. He has become a better shooter, attacks the rim more often and can still jump out of the gym. He is quicker than most power forwards and for a small forward, he is one of the strongest in the league, making him a prime candidate to be a “stretch four”. Barnes can also succeed at his normal small forward position but tends to get much more open looks in the Warriors’ “small ball” lineup.

Barnes is also an above average defender and that was evidenced on the next Clippers’ possession when Barnes came off of Griffin, blocking Jamal Crawford’s corner jumper and starting the fast break. Andre Iguodala grabbed the rebound, led the break and found a streaking Barnes for a one-handed slam. The Warriors were clearly back in the game, cutting the Clippers lead to one, 98-97 and setting the stage for the MVP.

The end of the Clippers game showed us how valuable Barnes can be for this team and why the organization wants to sign him to a long-term deal. Barnes has already turned down a four-year extension for $64 million, which had lots of experts shaking their heads why Barnes did not take it. This season, Barnes looks more assertive and aggressive, which a great sign for the Warriors, especially with the struggles of Thompson.

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Barnes is never going to be a number one option or even a number two option but if he continues to stay aggressive, he can help this team win games if Curry, Green or Thompson are having less than stellar nights. Barnes is essential to this team’s success because of his versatility at both ends of the floor. Whether it is guarding a power forward (Griffin) in the post, a shooting guard (Crawford) on the wing, running the floor in transition or hitting a corner three, Barnes is effective and crucial to this team’s success.

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