Harrison Barnes has seen his scoring production almost double with increased opportunities and responsibility as the go-to player for the Dallas Mavericks.
He has improved his shooting percentage while shooting twice as many shots per game and has had twice as many “clutch” points (points in the last five minutes of a game when the score is within 5 points) than any other Maverick while averaging 20.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
He is doing his best to make the Mavericks $94 million gamble on the 24-year-old forward (a lot more than Chandler Parson is for the Grizzlies) a good one and has earned some pretty lofty praise from experienced and well-respected Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle.
According to Mavs Beat Reporter Earl K. Sneed, Carlisle thinks Barnes is the hardest worker he has ever seen:
Rick Carlisle on Harrison Barnes: "His work ethic is second to none of any player I’ve ever been around as a player or a coach."
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) February 10, 2017
Carlisle has coached some really good Pistons and Pacers teams from the early and mid-2000s featuring Reggie Miller, Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace and Jermaine O’Neal as well as legends such as Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd while coaching the Mavericks since 2008.
While I know some of the statement could be motivational in nature, that is definitely high praise from a respected source and bodes well for Barnes ability to evolve into a star over the next few seasons in Dallas.
It will be interesting to see if the Mavericks can continue to ascend and claim the No. 8 seed in the west and give Dirk one last go-around in the playoffs.
