NBA: Ranking all 30 starting small forwards for 2017-18

10. Harrison Barnes, Dallas Mavericks

So far in preseason, the Dallas Mavericks have been starting Wesley Matthews at the 3 and Harrison Barnes at the 4 in small-ball lineups with Dirk Nowitzki at the 5, but since it’s only a matter of time before that lineup is bleeding points, we’re assuming Nerlens Noel will eventually work his way back into the starting five.

Once we reach that point and this bizarre bad blood over Noel’s contract drains away, Barnes will move back to his more natural position at the 3. As the butt of so many jokes with the Golden State Warriors, Harry B at least got to show he’s a much better player than people ever gave him credit for last season.

In his first season as “the man” in Big D, Barnes put up a career-high 19.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from deep. His long range efficiency dropped a bit, but that’s because the Mavs’ offense relied on him to create while still holding his own on the defensive end. Barnes will never lead a team to playoff glory, but he’s a much better two-way player than he gets credit for.