Harrison Barnes has performed well for the Mavericks after getting a big money deal during the offseason. However, during the preseason, he had plenty of skeptics.
After being a complimentary piece of a Warriors championship team, Barnes was set for a much larger role with Dallas when he agreed to a $94 million contract with the Mavericks. With the contract came increased expectations and during the preseason it didn’t look like Barnes would reach them. In fact, Dirk Nowitzki recently joked he thought Barnes was a bust.
Dirk recently to Harrison Barnes: "Man, I thought you were a bust in the preseason."
Barnes: "Thanks for the encouragement, bud."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 4, 2017
Barnes connected on just 27 percent of his shots during the preseason. Many don’t put much weight in preseason stats. That said, a guy who just signed a massive contract is going to be under the microscope and Barnes certainly was.
Thankfully for the Dallas, when games that mattered started, Barnes came to life. In 76 games this season, Barnes is averaging a career-high 19.5 points per game on 47 percent shooting. And while he may never perform up to the value of the contract, few are thinking he’s a complete bust now.
