Dallas Mavericks: Is Harrison Barnes still an ascending talent?

We assess whether or not Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes is still improving or if he’s flat lined in his development.

Harrison Barnes has been with the Dallas Mavericks for two seasons. During his short time here the six-year vet out of North Carolina has been one of the few glimmers of hope in an otherwise hopeless era in Dallas Mavericks history.

Rebuilding has been the name of the game in these parts and Harrison Barnes has been an important part of that process. But after adding two promising budding stars in consecutive drafts, and after finally snagging that elusive marquee free agent in DeAndre Jordan, the Mavs appear ready to take that next step.

The question is can Harrison Barnes take that next step as well?

Expectations have always been tough to agree upon when discussing Harrison Barnes. The former seventh overall pick came into the league with star potential and largely disappointed during his time at Golden State.

It’s safe to say compared to the Bay Area, expectations are a touch different in North Texas these days. The Mavs have been starving for talent while the Warriors had too much to effectively manage. When Barnes came to the Mavs he offered hope. He was that young ascending talent – a rare thing on this aged roster.

Was Harrison Barnes talented enough to lift the Mavericks up into a contender? Of course not. No one expected him to. Was he good enough to be the best player on a winning team? That’s where Mavs fans started to split.

Still developing outside of the Golden State shadow, it’s been difficult to know if and when the 27-year old has plateaued. The extra workload in Dallas not-so-surprisingly led to career highs in multiple areas of his game in Year 1. But in Year 2 we saw many stats hold steady.

Progression is more that statistics

Barnes’ scoring stayed strong, going from 19.2 to 18.9. His rebounding saw an uptick (from 5 to 6.1) as did his assists (1.5 to 2.0). If anything, Barnes had become a more well-rounded player in his second season with the Dallas Mavericks. But did he improve enough to think he’s still an ascending talent or is this about as good as it’s going to get?

The answer may be “yes” for these seemingly exclusive questions. You see, Barnes probably won’t be lighting up the score boards any more than what we’ve been seeing already. The opportunities aren’t going to grow with the Mavs infusion of talent – if anything, they’re going to shrink. But honing in on his game and filling a more vital role may qualify Barnes as “ascending” even if we don’t see it on the scoreboard.

For instance, in Barnes’ first season with the Mavs he played primarily at power forward. The role brought him closer to the basket and delivered higher percentage shots. In Barnes’ second season he played further out, shooting 333 from three, up from 222 the season before.