WARRIORS PRACTICE FACILITY, OAKLAND, CA — Golden State Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes is shooting just 35.8% (33-for-92) from the field in this 2016 NBA Playoffs, although he went 9-for-15 for 23 points and 15 rebounds combined in Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Portland Trail Blazers.
But his biggest contribution may have been his game-tying three-pointer that helped send Game 4 into overtime. The secret is simple, and like so many other themes going on with Warriors players these days: Be ready.
“Everybody goes through it,” Kerr has said of Barnes’ multiple slumps this year. “It’s magnified for Harrison.”
Especially on a team where Barnes is literally the fifth option — think about it, if you’re on the wing, you have Andrew Bogut available on the pinch post or Barnes in the corner, who are you passing to? It’s Bogut. Barnes is the fifth option on the team, and he gets automatically subbed out by Andre Iguodala by the sixth minute of the first quarter.
Even when he is with the bench unit, he’s still behind Marreese Speights on the pecking order of jump-shooters.
So especially on a team where Barnes is the fifth option, the best thing Barnes can do is maintain a Klay Thompson attitude. Have short-term memory and keep shooting.
“Let it fly,” Barnes said when we asked him about what it will take to get back on track. “That’s the best philosophy we have.”
Barnes also agreed that picking spots to attack the rim, plus getting to the free throw line are advantageous as well, and he’s still averaging 8.3 rebounds per 36 minutes and playing his part on defense, but on a team that relies so much on the extra pass and kick-out, just hitting the open jumper when your number is called, is Priority Job One.
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