After Harrison Barnes’ uninspiring (that’s the nicest word that can be used to describe it) performance in the 2016 NBA Finals, some began to question if he was good enough to warrant the maximum contract that he was expected to receive in the offseason. Could he effectively score without Stephen Curry’s gravity and Draymond Green’s passing? The Mavericks certainly thought so; they locked Barnes up on a four-year, $94 million contract last summer. Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki wasn’t impressed by what he saw in preseason, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon:
Dirk recently to Harrison Barnes: “Man, I thought you were a bust in the preseason.”
Barnes: “Thanks for the encouragement, bud.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 4, 2017
Nowitzki’s skepticism clearly didn’t last very long; in mid-September, he said that “the sky’s the limit for” Barnes.
While his preseason play may not have been encouraging, Barnes has since settled in nicely for the Mavs. Playing in the largest role of his career, Barnes has put up career-high numbers in minutes per game (35.8) and points per game (19.5). While his outside shooting has dipped a bit compared to his past two seasons, Barnes has thrived as a first option offensively. Plus, at just 24 years old, he has plenty of time to improve.
