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Harrison Barnes spent last season growing into a starting role while receiving very little acclaim. Fortunately, that may be starting to change.
SLAM Magazine has begun unveiling its list of the top 50 players in the NBA. So far, seven spots have been revealed, and one of them belongs to Barnes, who comes in at No. 47.
The piece notes that Barnes really started to show his potential as a stretch four last season, but questions his capacity for improvement and ability to carry the team.
It’s nice to see Barnes starting to gain a little more notoriety around the NBA. But while I’m happy to see him crack this top-50 list, the fact that SLAM Magazine also included Dion Waiters (No. 50) and Lonzo Ball (No. 45) takes away some of its significance for me. How can you put Ball, a rookie point guard who hasn’t played one real NBA minute yet, ahead of a young veteran like Barnes, who averaged nearly 20 points per game last season?
Regardless, I think it’s safe to say that we’re all excited to see what Barnes can do this season as he looks to build on what was a career year last season.
Here’s the link to SLAM Magazine’s full piece on Barnes at No. 47, if you’d like to read more of what they had to say.