DALLAS — After signing with the Dallas Mavericks to highlight the team’s summer moves this offseason, much will be expected of 24-year-old forward Harrison Barnes for seasons to come.
Officially inking a reported four-year deal worth $94 million with the Mavericks on July 9, Barnes is expected to emerge as one of the team’s top contributors during the 2016-17 campaign after spending his first four seasons in the league with the Golden State Warriors. The 6-foot-8, 225-pounder comes to Dallas with career averages of 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in 28.1 minutes an outing, making 246 starts during his 307 total games. He also comes with plenty of championship experience in his young career as a member of the Warriors’ 2015 title team and last year’s squad that fell to Cleveland in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Still, according to Mavs owner Mark Cuban, the former North Carolina standout and seventh overall pick in the 2012 draft has just begun to scratch the surface of how good he’s capable of becoming.
“I think his game is going to expand significantly,” Cuban said shortly after Barnes’ signing was made official. “You know, you can only do what you’re asked to do in the NBA, and so he’s going to get asked to do a whole lot more with us. He’s already working out with [Mavs coach Rick Carlisle]. I mean, he’s been in every morning working out. He’s hungry for it, and he’s excited to show people. I’m not expecting miracles in Year 1. There will be an adjustment period, but he’s definitely got the skill set. Now, he’s going to work hard to show it.”
Playing alongside two-time MVP Stephen Curry, in addition to All-NBA performers Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Barnes admittedly wasn’t a focal point for the Warriors on offense while becoming primarily a catch-and-shoot scorer. According to NBA.com, Barnes attempted 3.8 catch-and-shoot field goals a game last season, making 40.7 percent of those shots. With that said, Barnes also showed that he’s capable of stepping into a bigger role, hoping to now do so in Carlisle’s system.
As a rookie during the ’12-13 campaign, Barnes appeared in and started 81 games while averaging 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds en route to earning All-Rookie First Team honors. He followed that up with a strong second season, averaging 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in a predominantly reserve role to start a trend of increasing his scoring average in each year.
In ’14-15, Barnes started all 82 regular-season games for the eventual NBA champions, posting 10.1 points and 5.5 rebounds while connecting on a career-high 48.2 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from three-point range. He then averaged 11.7 points and 4.9 rebounds to help boost the Warriors to an NBA-record 73 wins last season. However, after attempting 3.1 catch-and-shoot three-pointers a game last season, the versatile forward appears ready for an increased role with the ball in his hands. And while being utilized more, Barnes figures to begin tapping into his full potential in Dallas.
“I mean, I’ve been lucky in my first four years to win a championship and to be able to be coached by [Warriors coach Steve Kerr], and now I get a chance to be coached by another coach that has also won a championship,” Barnes told reporters in Dallas earlier this month.
He added: “You know, defensively, I think it will be a lot of the same things — guarding twos, threes, fours. Maybe occasionally fives on a switch or something like that. You know, offensively, just being more integrated in the offense. Not necessarily as many catch-and-shoot corner threes, but kind of mixing in some different looks. … The biggest thing we’ve talked about is more touches doesn’t necessarily mean more shots; it’s more decisions you have to make. Just ’cause you’re getting the ball more, that’s an opportunity to set up a teammate, an opportunity to keep the ball moving, and that’s an opportunity to pick your spots. You know, now it’s not going to be the situation where you get the ball at the end of the shot clock and it’s a corner three, or if you have a wide-open shot and you shoot it. It’s going to be, ‘Ok, when do I pass? When do I shoot? When do I try to get to the free-throw line? What’s the time of the game to get an isolation?’ Those are the things that [Carlisle] talked about helping me through, and I’m just excited to be in that position.”
The post Mavs see Harrison Barnes tapping into his full potential in Dallas appeared first on The Official Site of the Dallas Mavericks.