There was no other player more disappointing in the Golden State Warriors roster last season than Harrison Barnes. The 6'8' forward brought in a lot of hype and expectations with him entering the 2013-14 season after a promising rookie season. Many considered him to be a budding star in the league only to see him struggle in a bench role and stumble into a "sophomore slump."
Per Bleacher Report:
With the exception of a 12-game stint in the 2013 postseason that concluded his rookie year, his first two go-rounds in the Association have been largely disappointing. And it's not as though he's just suffering from a lack of playing time, as his per-minute numbers are lackluster and his PER dropped to 9.8 as a sophomore.
But perhaps he will finally have a break out season under new head coach Steve Kerr? Nobody knows but the Warriors do have a lot of good options at the small forward position in Draymond Green and a healthy Brandon Rush. And if Golden State wants to win now then it may be better for them to trade Barnes in exchange for veteran pieces that would help them in the playoffs rather than wait and gamble on him to blossom.
And what if Barnes continues to regress and winds up becoming a poor fit in Kerr's system? According to Erric He of Fan Sided, the "worst case scenario" for Barnes this season is if he continues to launch ill-advised perimeter shots instead of attacking the basket - which has been his biggest strength. There is also the issue of Andre Iguodala who is guaranteed to eat a lot of crucial minutes at small forward setting back the 22 year old Barne's development even further. If this scenario happens, the Warriors front office might just end up shopping him before the deadline.
Barnes wasn't also particularly impressive in the preseason games. According to RealGM.com, the 7th overall pick in the 2012 draft averaged 9.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game through his first six preseason outings. His PER maintains a below-average 13.3.
Barnes, though, is still very young and plenty of teams still seem to perceive him as someone with high-upside. Golden State can exploit this perceived notion of Barnes before all the excitement dries up by putting him in the trade block this season.
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