Mar 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes (40) drives in against the New York Knicks during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the New York Knicks 92-63. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Harrison Barnes was a phenomenal rookie last year for the Golden State Warriors.
In fact, he was the team’s leader in scoring during the postseason, as the Warriors were the only lottery team to make it to the playoffs. It’s funny how these things work because Barnes was a huge part of the Warriors’ deep postseason run, which saw them knock off the Denver Nuggets and give the San Antonio Spurs something to worry about.
Barnes’ averages skyrocketed in the playoffs, and although he’s going to come off the bench as the sixth man in the 2013-2014 season, he will still get more minutes. I only say this because Jarrett Jack got more minutes than him last year as the sixth man. With that being said, is Barnes limited? Or will he have a breakout season as 6th man.
1. He wins the Sixth Man of the Year Award:
If there’s anything we’ve learned about Barnes, it’s that he’s persistent. Many were skeptical when he kept shooting 3-pointers at the beginning of the 2012-2013 season, but he found his stroke and his confidence. Eventually, he was driving to the basket and throwing down hammers with ease. He will focus on these two parts of his game and be a scorer.
With other guys like J.R. Smith, and our old pal Jack sure to challenge him, he could be up there in the talks. Coming off the bench and playing starter minutes is something that Barnes is ready for. He’s only a sophomore, true, but I don’t think that the move to the bench will hurt his performance at all. It may actually help him play with more intensity.
2. He Surpasses his Scoring Average:
Last year, Barnes averaged 9.1 points per game. That may not seem bad, but he was fairly inconsistent up until the final stretch of games and the postseason. However, he’s more confident and has a sense of how to play the game. He will surely be able to score more than he did last year.
It won’t only come off of dunks in the paint, but it’ll also come off of 3-point shots, fast breaks, and free throws, if he can raise his percentage. He’s going to be a more-than-adequate replacement for Jack at the 6th man spot.
3. He Gets Busy At the Rim, Again:
Coming into the season, Barnes was considered to be a shooter. While all the analysts were pairing him with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson at the 3-point line, he was working on driving to the basket every day. That hard work, as it eventually turned out, paid off.
Now, Barnes dunks on 7-footers with ease. There’s no doubt in my mind that every single fan in the arena, whether it be Oracle or the Pepsi Center, is going to stand up when Barnes gets the step on his defender. If he gets ahead, you already know what he’s planning to do.