Harrison Barnes isn’t and won’t ever become the dominant wing scorer that so many predicted he’d be as a high school phenom. But that hardly means the third-year Golden State Warriors forward hasn’t re-emerged as a valuable cog for the league’s top team. Putting his explosive leaping ability on full display, watch Barnes follow a Klay Thompson miss with a powerful put-back jam that stretched his wingspan to the limit in the third quarter of his team’s 117-102 win over the Indiana Pacers.
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We’ll let Steph Curry and Draymond Green exclaim for us:
Barnes has found his footing under Steve Kerr after a discouraging sophomore campaign in 2013-2014. No longer tasked with creating his own offense, the 6-8 North Carolina product has become an effective ‘3-and-D’ player for Golden State while toggling between both forward positions. Barnes is notching personal highs in points and rebounds per game while shooting a scorching 43.8 percent from beyond the arc – nearly 10 points better than his combined mark over his first two seasons.
Not every early scouting report is foolproof, and not every youngster can live up to the hype that accompanies their teens. Barnes, though, is carving out a niche as the prototype role player in today’s NBA. Players that can guard multiple positions, consistently make open shots, and rebound at a high level are few and far between. Even more rare are those who combine those attributes with the athleticism to make plays like this.
What do you think?
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