Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is glad about the situation his former small forward Harrison Barnes has landed into with the Dallas Mavericks.

With a the cornerstone of the franchise Dirk Nowitzki nearing his retirement, Barnes has stepped in as the Mavs No. 1 option on offense. His athleticism and ability to be a jack of all trades has helped him to a scoring average of 20.4 points per game, nearly nine points per game more than his career-best with the Warriors last season.

“We knew he was capable of doing a lot more than what he was doing here,” Kerr told Connor LeTourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle prior to Friday night's game. “But to go from the fifth option to the No. 1 option, that’s a pretty big jump. I would’ve said he would take longer.”

Barnes is also averaging career-bests in rebounds (5.6) and minutes (36.4). The newcomer is shooting 46.3 percent from the field and a career-best 87.3 percent from the free-throw line for a hollowed out Mavericks team decimated by injuries.

“You knew he was going to put everything into it,” Kerr said of Barnes, who put up 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor on Friday. “I’m really happy for him. He’s doing so well. It’s a different role for him, and it’s one that he was hoping for that he wasn’t going to get here. I’m glad he’s getting it in Dallas.”

Harrison Barnes is the most recent example of what opportunity can do for a player, eight more minutes of playing time and a green light to take shots can make a player flourish. The 6-foot-8 Iowa native will be in the conversation for most-improved player at season's end if he can keep healthy and scoring at the pace he has thus far this year.