The Sacramento Kings are off to a respectable start this season, going 4-4 through their first eight games. While De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton profile to be the franchise pieces for this team, it's been another player who's actually been leading the way offensively. Veteran forward Harrison Barnes.
The 29-year-old is playing a whopping 37.3 minutes per game for the Kings and averaging a team-best 23.3 points. He's also grabbing 9.5 boards and dishing out 2.4 assists per contest while shooting a ridiculous 47% from three-point land. While it's still early, Barnes has never averaged this many points. His career-high in a complete season is 19.2 in 2016/17 with the Dallas Mavericks.
Barnes is shooting the lights out yes, but he's also attempting more threes than ever. The Kings star is taking 6.9 of them per night. When it comes to rebounds and free throws, Barnes is also putting up career-bests. The former UNC standout is doing a great job of attacking the rim and drawing contact. From the charity stripe, Barnes is shooting an impressive 84%.
Fox and Haliburton are still putting up solid numbers, but no one expected Barnes to be leading the Kings in almost every category. On Wednesday night, he erupted for 23 points and it took him just eight shots to reach that number, connecting on 4 of 6 attempts from downtown and 5 for 8 from the field. His will to get to the line was on display again, draining 9 of 10. In fact, that was Barnes' fifth game of the campaign where he posted 20 or more points. There hasn't been a contest where Barnes hasn't grabbed at least six rebounds, either.
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Yes, Barnes is almost 30-years-old. But he could very well prove to be the leading catalyst on this Kings team this season. His usage has skyrocketed from 17.2% in 2020/21 to 22.1% this season. His teammates are getting him the ball because Barnes is proving to be a legitimate threat offensively. It remains to be seen if the former Warrior can keep this pace up. The sample size is extremely small right now, but Sacramento is going to keep putting the rock in Barnes' hands.
It does help that he has terrific playmakers around him as well in Fox, Haliburton, and rookie Davion Mitchell. They're finding Barnes good looks out on the perimeter. The Kings aren't likely going to be a playoff team, but if Barnes and the other pieces around him can continue to play at a high level, the play-in could be a possibility.
At this rate though, Harrison Barnes could be an All-Star for the very first time.
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