Golden State Warriors: A Fresh Start For Harrison Barnes
By Ben Woodward
The Golden State Warriors have several players on the roster going into the 2014-15 season who are prepared to welcome a fresh start.
Andrew Bogut is ready for a new season, out to prove he is ready to contribute to the Dubs as a top-flight center in the Western Conference, and stay healthy while he’s at it.
Klay Thompson is eager to get the new season underway, and even though Klay is not the kind of guy that will come out and say it, he’s out to show the Golden State Warriors front office team that his name shouldn’t have been involved in any trade talks this summer. Thompson is also after that max contract we all keep hearing about, and a fresh 82-game schedule is exactly what he needs to prove he deserves it.
Jason Kapono, recently added to the training camp roster, could be facing a complete restart of his life in the NBA. If he can show he’s stayed in game shape and still has that three-ball, he could be given the opportunity to defibrillate life back into his career thought over by many.
Festus Ezeli coming off a tough injury forcing him to miss all of last season. Stephen Curry and the rest of the starters left with a bad taste in their mouths after the seven-game heartbreaker loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers. The list could go on and on.
But there’s one guy that wears the Golden State uniform who may be happiest to turn the calendar to October 2014.
You guessed it, the Black Falcon himself, Harrison Barnes. (Here’s the explanation for those not familiar with the nickname.) Yes, he actually wanted it to be a brand coming out of college.
Harrison Barnes is now finding himself in a particularly unique position. A new offensive system? Check. New head coach to build a relationship with? Check. No one has forgotten about his still seemingly limitless potential and athletic ability.
Take a look at his progress in the NBA so far and you’ll be underwhelmed. He’s progressed as a player, but watching him play from Year 1 to Year 2, anyone can see he hasn’t come close to his ceiling.
Coming out of UNC, he was practically built up to be a future All-Star. Back in 2012 when Harrison Barnes was at the top of everyone’s mock draft boards, he even elaborated how he’s grown up in front of the media and has been groomed for the spotlight.
As a sophomore at North Carolina, he earned All-ACC honors. At 6’ 8” with a wingspan that looks like he could dunk a basketball while eating popcorn in the front row, he’s a freakish athlete with a knack for scoring that was lauded as second to none in his draft class.
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Barnes would go on to start 81 games for the Golden State Warriors in 2012-13, bumping Dorell Wright from his starting role with the team. In his secured starting role, he averaged just 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
When 2013-14 rolled around, the Dubs added Andre Iguodala to the mix and Barnes himself was bumped into a sixth man role than he essentially shared with Draymond Green. His numbers were nearly identical, however one important statistical category seemed to plummet: his shooting percentage.
As a rookie, Barnes managed a fairly impressive 44 percent from the floor. Flash forward by one year, take away his starting job and that number dropped to 39 percent.
Despite playing more minutes at power forward, he began shooting more threes at a low 34 percent. Playing with both starters and the second unit, Barnes was the subject of isolation plays that he clearly wasn’t fit to be running now that Mark Jackson is out of the picture.
With Steve Kerr at the helm, Harrison Barnes couldn’t be happier to be moving off the ball, cutting to the basket, and being a part of a complex NBA offense that involves more than making his own shot.
Speaking with Diamond Leung of the San Jose Mercury News, Barnes elaborated on his new role: “It’s just changing my game and just understanding where I’m going to get my shots now. I’m not going to be iso’d on the post, iso’d on the elbow. It’s going to be moving, cutting, some spot-up shots, that kind of stuff.”
Andrew Bogut went on to explain a possible cause for his less-than-stellar sophomore campaign: “He was a young player, and it was tough for him to deal with mentally. He had a hell of a rookie year and then they brought in a former All-Star to basically take his spot, so he was definitely frustrated.”
Hot take from Bogut. I would be willing to bet that if asked, Barnes would disagree and say he welcomed such a prolific small forward to teach him the ropes and help him improve. Both accurate, but Bogut certainly raised a good point.
Expect to see an increased role for Harrison Barnes in 2014-15. Steve Kerr is most certainly aware of his ability, and will look to fully harness it for the first time in the NBA. Barnes’ rookie year was just a sample of what the young forward can do in a structured offense (no offense, Mark Jackson).
In the last game of the 2013-14 regular season, Harrison Barnes went out and had himself a ball game. He poured in 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting while playing 48 minutes. I like to imagine that game as a little wink and a nod from Harrison Barnes. The best is yet to come.
The 2014-15 Golden State Warriors season could represent a (re)launch into orbit for Harrison Barnes. Time will tell if he has what it takes to punch in the launch code.