This past season, Harrison Barnes was at the center of many Twitter tirades and heated debates about his admitted “poor” performance on the court.
With the acquisition of the more experienced and versatile Andre Iguodala, Barnes was forced to come off the bench in his sophomore year, despite the strong finish after the 2013-14 NBA Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs, in which he averaged 16 points per game.
He averaged 9.5 points during his “sophomore slump” and played 28.3 minutes per game. Those were both slightly up from the year prior when he averaged 9.2 and 25.4 respectively.
His field goal percentage, however, took a substantial hit. Barnes struggled to hit his shots with consistency, shooting 40% from the field, 4% lower than the year before.
Diamond Leung from the Bay Area News Group wrote about Barnes’ view on last season and how he hopes to improve his game for the coming year:
“I’ve got to mix it up this year,” Barnes told The Champs Podcast. “I’ve to get in there, get in the fray a little bit. First two years, I never rebounded well.
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“I’ve got to help the team.”
Barnes grabbed 4 rebounds per game last season which ranks 27th for all small forwards.
Prior to the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Barnes spoke with us about what he has been working on this summer.
“I’ve been working on my body. Obviously just making sure I can perform at a high level making sure I’m healthy and in the gym everyday,” Barnes told us after a Team USA practice.
Barnes will look to adjust to his role coming off of the bench. On a team filled with numerous potential starters, each and every player will have to earn their minutes.
Barnes will look to regain the support of #DubNation when the Warriors tip off their season in just a few weeks, opening up against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena on October 29th, 2014.
[NOTE: Poor Man’s Commish contributed to this report.]
(Photo: @nbastream Instagram account via @flyhighdesign)
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