On a team focused on youth, even by youth's standards, Harrison Barnes stands out. A starter in every one of the San Antonio Spurs 82 games in his first year with the franchise, Barnes proved instrumental in aiding the continued genius of Victor Wembanyama, who's still just 21 years old, and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, who will turn 21 on November 1. The second overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, 19-year-old Dylan Harper is now in the mix. We sat down with the 33-year-old Barnes, whose name came up in off-season chatter when the Spurs were linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant, for an exclusive interview ahead of a season that many think could land the Spurs back in the playoffs.
ClutchPoints: “Can you believe that this is your number 14 in the NBA for Harrison Barnes?”
Harrison Barnes: “It's wild. Yeah, definitely, just grateful to be here. Grateful to continue to play the game I love and to have this experience with this group.”
ClutchPoints: “How was the summer for you?”
Barnes: “Summer was great. I thought we did a lot as a group just in terms of building, working out, training. Got a chance to spend time with the family, which is always nice, and I'm excited for this season.”
ClutchPoints: “You look at the moves that the Spurs made this off-season. Adding a couple of quality veterans like Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk, adding a Dylan Harper; the young guys are a year older. I imagine the expectations for this group are pretty high?”
Barnes: “I think the biggest thing for us is just how can we consistently show up every single day? That was the thing that we preached a lot last year. We learned a lot as a group, how to do that as a collective. And I think the same process applies this year as well.”
ClutchPoints: “I know you've been a great influence on these young guys and this young core, and I remember giggling last year when someone asked you if you consider yourself part of this core. You're like, ‘I hope so. I think so.' Sometimes when you're a little bit older than the mid-20's, people tend to dismiss that person as playing a secondary role. And I get that's the nature of the league nowadays…”
Barnes: “For sure.”
ClutchPoints: Heck, there were times last year that people thought you were 40 years old like Chris Paul, just because you were the only other veteran who was part of the rotation.
Barnes: (laughs)
ClutchPoints: “But with so much young talent here, what's that been like to have that role for this group of guys?”
Barnes: “I think it's big, right? I mean, a lot of these guys, there's so much potential, talent. They have so much more basketball ahead of them than behind them. I think the biggest thing is, how can we focus on now, right? How can we take all that and say, ‘Guys, let's be great every single day and focus on this season and this moment?' It's always easy to look ahead and try to wonder and hope, but we can have urgency, and we have control over now. So let's keep our focus here and try to maximize that the best we can.”
ClutchPoints: “You won the title with Golden State. A young nucleus there. You got to Sacramento, helped them break a long playoff drought. I know it's tough for players to compare because teams are different, individuals are different and situations are different. That said, do you see similarities between this group and the young core that you won the title with and went to back-to-back Finals with in Golden State? Do you see similarities between this group and that Kings group that qualified for the postseason for the first time in nearly 20 years?”
Barnes: “Yeah, I think the biggest thing with this group that I see, which makes us very unique, is the level of talent that we have from our young players. You go to the locker room and they're like, ‘Yo, how old are you? ‘I'm, you know, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24,' whatever it may be. There are so many guys who are young and so talented, so it's like I said earlier. Let's focus on the now, let's focus on what can we do today, tomorrow, in camp, in the preseason, getting ready for game one of this regular season and not just say, ‘Okay, yeah, in three or four years, you'll be X, Y and Z as a player,' and just wait until that time comes. It's like, no. We can be good as a group right now.”
ClutchPoints: So when you look at this team, Harrison, I know we talked about expectations. But, playoffs, post-season, things along those lines, especially for a franchise like this, that's tasted so much success over their history. Is that something that you guys talk about? Is it mentioned in terms of goals for this year?
Barnes: I think we have a high internal standard and goals for ourselves, but I think to make it concise, the only thing that is worth talking about is how we're gonna show up every day as a group. I think we have the talent, we have all the pieces, We have that part. That part's established. But it's how are we gonna show up every single day? And I think as long as we keep that as our focus and our North Star, I think the rest of the things will play out for us. I think at times last season, not saying that there wasn't intentionality behind that, but, I think our focus was shifted. And I think just ultimately us showing up the best that we can every single day, competing at a high level, trying to win at a high level, focusing on those details, I think that's the biggest thing for us.
ClutchPoints: Harrison, we certainly appreciated the time. Thank you. Best of luck this season.
Barnes: Appreciate you.
