Dallas Mavericks should start building around Harrison Barnes

When the Dallas Mavericks gave forward Harrison Barnes a four year deal worth $94.4 million, critics laughed. But now, Barnes and the Mavs may have the last laugh.

Prior to signing with the Dallas Mavericks, Harrison Barnes built quite a reputation for himself. He was one of the nation’s top-ranked recruits in 2010 when he signed with North Carolina. Two years later, the Golden State Warriors drafted him seventh overall and by the age of 22 he won his first NBA Championship.

A welcome change of scenery

While he did earn a selection to 2012-13 NBA All-Rookie team, his game didn’t progress much afterward. He had plenty of opportunities in his first four seasons, but he averaged a mere 10.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game with a sub-par shooting percentage. Those aren’t exactly top draft pick numbers. So the Warriors let him walk and Dallas took him in.

A new role

With Golden State he played mostly out of the small forward position: a position that favors a more well-rounded player. But at 6´ 8˝, he stands a little tall for that position. Plus, he’s not much of a ball distributor. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle recognized this and began playing him at power forward.

A better shooter

Thanks to the change in responsibility and his move closer to the hoop, his offensive game has blossomed. Previously a career .446 shooter, he’s shooting .474 this season.

He has been less effective beyond the arc this year, but that’s not really where his value lies. As an inside shooter, he’s improved from .475 to .502 and leads the Mavs with 396 field goals made.

A better free throw shooter

Another side effect of moving closer to the hoop is an increase in free throw opportunities. While it may not seem like much, he’s averaged 1.4 more free throws this season than he did with the Warriors. He’s taken advantage of the opportunity, too with a rise of .122 percentage points to .861 shooting from the charity stripe.

A passing of the torch

Although it’s something Dallas fans may hesitate to talk about, it’s time to begin discussing the exit strategy for the Dirk Nowitzki era. He’s aging and the Mavs need a new focal point of the offense.

Based on what he’s done this season, Barnes has the potential for stardom. Just one season ago that didn’t seem possible. Yet he now leads the team in points, rebounds field goals and minutes played. With a little more defensive help around him, a secondary shooter and a ball-distributing point guard around him, he could be “the guy.”

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Those preseason laughs have gone quiet now. They grow seemingly more quiet with each drained shot. After all 26 games with at least 20 points, the snickers diminished. They grew silent after his five 30+ point games. The 2016-17 season as a whole might go down as a disappointment. But none of that will fall on Barnes. The only thing he gives the Dallas Mavericks is hope.

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