It's time to find out what Harrison Barnes is made of.
Barnes signed with the Dallas Mavericks this summer on a maximum four-year, $95 million contract after playing his first four seasons with the Golden State Warriors.
Barnes was certainly a solid role player in Golden State, but it remains to be seen if he's worth the $95 million Dallas is shelling out for him. Inevitably, Barnes' role and responsibilities will change as he is no longer in the shadow of players like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and instead expected to take on more of a leading role in Dallas.
“I’m looking forward to it a lot,” said Barnes, who won an NBA title with the Warriors in 2015. “But the things that I’ve learned and what coach (Rick) Carlisle and some other coaches have made me realize is it’s about adding to what you already do.
“You can’t say, ‘Oh, you’re going to have a bigger role, now you’re going to be an isolated player or you’re going to be a ball stopper.’ You still need to cut, you still need to be active, we still need you to rebound, we still need you to play multiple positions.”
Barnes was a starter on one of the greatest teams of all-time. He knows what winning basketball looks like and what it takes.
It will be interesting to see if Barnes is able to keep that kind of winning basketball at the forefront while shouldering a greater load with the Mavs. It's a challenge that not every player is capable of taking on.
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