[ad_1]
The information of Harrison Barnes being traded got here in the course of a recreation, trickling down from Twitter to the bench in a real-time recreation of phone. Cameras caught the second it hit Barnes that he was leaving the Dallas Mavericks — a group he was anticipated to assist steer into its subsequent period after Dirk Nowitzki retired — to go to the league’s most dysfunctional and playoff-starved group, the Sacramento Kings.
With his eyes glazed over, mouth clenched shut, and face strained, it was clear Barnes was caught in existential malaise. When the Mavs traded Barnes in 2019, it was a transfer to clear cap house to construct round their budding celebrity, Luka Dončić. The thought in Dallas on the time was that at 26, Barnes didn’t match the group’s timeline anymore. That he was traded in the course of a Mavs recreation solely punctuated the ineptitude he was strolling into along with his new group.
Just over 4 years later, Barnes is way from any such dysfunction, serving as a cornerstone of the present Kings revolution and serving to to gasoline the NBA’s greatest offense with a scoring common of 15 factors per recreation, somewhat below 4 factors fewer than he was averaging with the Mavs when traded. Barnes’ contributions this season are among the best arguments for the significance of veterans on a roster, as he has been one of the vital underrated gamers within the league.
Barnes, 30, is the second-oldest participant on the group after former champion Matthew Dellavedova. Having veterans was as soon as thought of apparent to groups attempting to determine tradition and continuity. But in the previous couple of years, the median age of the league has dropped, getting youthful and extra proficient as entrance workplaces select to fill the spots on the finish of their benches with kids brimming with untapped potential fairly than growing older veterans. Barnes is displaying that mindset can typically be a mistake. His presence by the final 4 years in Sacramento has helped construct successful habits which are lastly paying off this yr, as he’s introduced championship acumen from his early time with the Golden State Warriors, and can use the expertise he constructed within the Bay Area to try to assist lead his youthful teammates towards his previous teammates within the first spherical of the 2023 NBA playoffs.
Since he was traded to Sacramento in 2018, solely he and De’Aaron Fox stay amidst seismic roster churn. Since arriving, Barnes has gone from an period the place the group acted as a spot the place growing older veterans went to finish their careers or stat-pad for contracts whereas lacking on draft choose after draft choose, to the electrical Beam Team period now. His scoring output, minutes and basic dependability have stayed nearly precisely the identical by all of it. As the gamers who would change into the Kings’ core like Davion Mitchell, Keegan Murray or Kessler Edwards arrived by way of the draft, Barnes has been the stabilizing power as one of many few long-term constructing blocks the Kings have invested in to show the children professionalism as they develop. His constant output and energy have set an instance to incoming younger gamers like Davion Mitchell and Keegan Murray, who’ve benefited from having Barnes as their vet.
That Barnes has rotated by 4 coaches in simply 4 quick seasons is an indication of how dysfunctional the Kings have been till now. Even the final supervisor who traded for him, Vlade Divac, is gone. But below a successful GM in Monte McNair, the possible Coach of the Year in Mike Brown, and alongside extra proficient teammates, Barnes has been a key contributor towards the Kings breaking their 16-year playoff drought. Moreover, Barnes survived a number of seasons of institutional ineptitude whereas by no means attempting to get out, regardless of how dangerous issues acquired in Sacramento. And as soon as McNair took over in 2020, Barnes was among the many few gamers he retained from earlier administrations for his management and constant play. The Kings even made him principally untouchable on the NBA commerce deadline.
Barnes has began all 5 seasons with the group. This yr he’s averaging the second-highest win shares per 48 minutes of his profession, and most since his time in Golden State. But most of all, he’s been a relaxing presence, by no means concerned in off-the-court shenanigans or locker-room revolts. He is available in, does his job and performs his ass off each recreation. Now, the Kings have began to tackle his workmanlike, environment friendly identification. Barnes has maintained a real taking pictures of over 62% over his previous three seasons, and is at 63.2% in that class this yr. This season, the Kings as a group are posting a 60.8% true taking pictures proportion, good for the second-highest true taking pictures proportion in NBA historical past.
His high-IQ, discerning shot choice is clearly rubbing off on his teammates. At this level in his profession, his shotmaking comes both behind the three-point line or on the basket. He’s been unassisted on 41.3% of his two-pointers, displaying he nonetheless has among the three-level scoring that made him a lottery choose (seventh) in 2012 and a starter on the Warriors’ 2015 championship group.
If you squint, the Kings mimic these mid-2010s Warriors groups Barnes slotted in on years in the past, with Domantas Sabonis because the do-it-all heart with superior passing capabilities like Draymond Green, and Fox because the offensive celebrity the ultimate in crunchtime, a la Steph Curry (Fox is main the league in clutch-time scoring this season). The remainder of the group is comprised of knock-down shooters (Huerter, Monk, Murray) and gritty defenders (Mitchell, Trey Lyles). Barnes’s passing skills assist preserve the ball in movement till it finds the open shooter, very like the Warriors’ fluid offense runs below Kerr. Also, just like the Warriors throughout their dynasty, the Kings are unafraid to gentle opponents up from deep, ending within the top-six in each 3-point makes and makes an attempt.
In his final yr with the identical Warriors core he’ll now attempt to dethrone within the weeks to come back, Barnes was the youngest rotation participant and starter, the versatile three-and-D wing who needed a starring position when he joined the Mavericks. Seven years later, he’s persevered by all of the turbulence of the commerce and the following seasons to play the identical glue-guy position as he did with the Warriors, solely this time, he’s content material to shine inside it. It’s onerous to not think about it’s impressed his Kings teammates to purchase in simply as onerous. Even although his contributions have flown below the radar of Coach of the Year frontrunner Brown and All-Stars Fox and Sabonis, Barnes will get an opportunity to shine within the post-season, the place his championship expertise and clutch play shall be relied upon. Maybe then, different groups will see the value of investing in regular vets like Barnes, whose significance will solely develop in April.