Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA: 5 Players Who Have Lived Up To Their Contracts In 2016-17

By James D. Tillman III

November 7, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors players huddle before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Pelicans 116-106. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 7, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors players huddle before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Pelicans 116-106. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Nov 8, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Tarik Black (28) and Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes (40) go for a rebound in the second half of the game at Staples Center. Mavericks won 109-97. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Tarik Black (28) and Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes (40) go for a rebound in the second half of the game at Staples Center. Mavericks won 109-97. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Harrison Barnes

During the offseason, Harrison Barnes and the Dallas Mavericks agreed to a four-year deal worth $94 million. To be honest, I thought the Mavericks were overpaying a bit for his services.

After all, he was coming off a Finals performance in which he averaged just five points per outing over the last three games while shooting a dismal 5-for-32 from the floor. Secondly, Barnes reached double figures just once in seven preseason games on 27 percent shooting.

Taking that into consideration, this signing had disaster written all over it, right?

Wrong.

While the Mavericks are just 2-8 through their first 10 games, Barnes has been playing on an entirely different level from what we saw last season.

Not only is he averaging 22.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest, he has also more than doubled his career scoring average of 10.4 points per outing.

Furthermore, Barnes is converting 49 percent of his attempts from the floor and has a true shooting percentage of 56.6 percent.

It is also worth noting that Barnes is excelling in a more featured role — something not lost on Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

"“I love what I’ve seen,” Cuban said, via CBSSports.com. “Initially, he was being deferential and trying to fit in. And with D-Will and Dirk and Devin being down, our primary scorers, it was like, he has no choice. He knew he had to be that guy and he’s been phenomenal. I mean, when we played the Warriors, he was getting triple-teamed and scoring. His footwork now, his shot, he’s just been able to show so many things that we had not seen before.”"

Whether Barnes can continue to play at such an efficient pace remains to be seen. However, if he is able to continue to perform at a high level, the Mavs may have found their next franchise cornerstone.