Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes is not the flashiest player in the world. In fact, he is one of the players who thrives in a more functional team setting, as that's where he can nail the little things (defense, drawing fouls, nailing open shots) that are conducive to winning. However, Barnes' level of production is getting concerning, as he may have hit rock-bottom during the Kings' 127-117 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans that knocks them out of the NBA In-Season Tournament.
In 34 minutes of play, Barnes was near-invisible for the Kings, particularly on the offensive end. He tallied just four points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block, and he shot the ball just thrice, with all three of his attempts coming from beyond the arc. While Barnes isn't too high in the offensive hierarchy in Sacramento, one would think that they'll want to get more production from someone who's earning $17 million this season.
Nevertheless, Kings head coach Mike Brown defended Harrison Barnes by saying that the 31-year old small forward was only playing his role on the team, guarding Pelicans star Zion Williamson and holding him to 10 points on the night, and that there will be inconsistencies in the veteran's game because of his by-design lack of involvement in the offense.
“We got a lot out of him. I thought he did a nice job with Zion. Obviously, he didn't score the ball at the clip you hope for, but for us to score 117 points… that's more than enough. We've just got to do a better job with the little things,” Brown said, per Brenden Nunes of Sactown Sports 1140. “The one thing you guys have to understand is I don't call any plays for HB… that's going to bring an amount of inconsistency.”
Should the Kings call for more plays involving Harrison Barnes? Perhaps. But that involves taking the ball out of De'Aaron Fox's and Domantas Sabonis' hands, not to mention the need to feature Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter in the offense.
Barnes' lack of output may be frustrating, but the Kings, despite being tripped up on the banana peel that was the Pelicans on Monday night, have still excelled this season even with the 31-year old forward suffering through a teeter-totter season.
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