Harrison Barnes' new brand: Bust?

[jonathanlambert33]

In a moment, Harrison Barnes reminded fans that the hype isn’t wholly empty. On Thursday night against the Clippers, he raced behind a weaving Jordan Crawford, received the pass, then soared past Willie Green for a powerful and-1 dunk. If the crowd's crazed reaction for a merely cool second-quarter jam was a little over the top, it may be attributable to a certain nervous energy regarding the Barnes situation. He’s been adrift on this roster this season, and the murmurs of doubt and disappointment have been growing louder.

As Anthony Bennett hogs the national “draft bust?” spotlight, it’s easy to forget that there are other young players under local scrutiny. In an ideal world, we wouldn't hold these young men to expectations they didn't set, but that change isn't happening anytime soon.

In Barnes’ case, the expectations don’t stem just from being the No. 7 pick. There’s more to the anxiety of “Is this it?” than his lottery status. First, Barnes didn’t storm the scene just last season as Bennett did en route to becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft. Barnes is coming off his rookie season, but the former No. 1-ranked recruit has been underwhelming nervous fans for years now.

Barnes played for a high-profile North Carolina program and was featured before a March Madness TV audience that dwarfs that of Warriors games. His freshman year at Chapel Hill was underwhelming, albeit mildly so. Barnes scored, but didn't do it that efficiently, and did little else. He still probably would have been a top-three pick if he had opted for the draft then, but he elected to stay a year, which worked out badly for his draft stock, if not his “brand.” Sophomore Barnes played like freshman Barnes. His "NBA body" continued to move as though animated by what draftniks might call a "low motor." His handle remained stilted, his shot remained average, and his disappearances from the team’s offensive attack remained frequent.

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[Pugz]

can't really call him a bust because his flaws have always been his same flaws. everyone expected them to stay with him.

 

[elcheato]

Not really, he was getting mad hype after he posted up small guards to death in that San Antonio series.

 

[Hurricane Season]

Read half of the article before I realized this had nothing to do with a new shoe brand.

 

[CameronCrazy06]

He's a bust from a recruiting perspective but his NBA expectations were tempered because he never became the star at UNC people though.

 

[elcheato]

NBA expectations were tempered, but then he became highly overrated during the playoffs, to the point of some saying he was a future star.

 

[CameronCrazy06]

Yeah a lot of people said that after the SA series. He was featured in a bunch of commercials this offseason. Hasn't even been a starter this season.

 

[Mexi]

He's a good player still, not a bust
Rarely does a guy start an entire season as a rookie, have a good playoffs as a lotto pick and then see his role reduced his second year

Has that ever happened?

 

[Pugz]

him coming off the bench has a lot to do with this.

hes going to be a solid pro but his flaws will always be his flaws.

 

[elcheato]

I don't think it has anything to do with it. He can't dribble, he can't shoot off the dribble, he can't drive because of his dribbling ability, or lack thereof, his shot isn't great by any means. He's a 3 & D guy at best in his career.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

He's a good player still, not a bust
Rarely does a guy start an entire season as a rookie, have a good playoffs as a lotto pick and then see his role reduced his second year

Has that ever happened?

I wouldn't call him a good player, he's been downright awful the last few months.