Welcome to Pounding the Rock’s 2024-25 participant evaluations! The sequence will take a look at the gamers who completed the season with the San Antonio Spurs on assured contracts and who performed consequential minutes and/or an important position (so no two-way gamers as a result of we hardly noticed them this 12 months, and no gamers who had been traded away).
Harrison Barnes
2024-25 stats: 27.2 MPG, 12.3 factors, 3.8 rebounds. 43.3 3FG%
Contract Standing: 1 12 months, $19 million remaining
Age: 32
Trying again, the Spurs cleaned up on the commerce that received Harrison Barnes to San Antonio. By being keen to take the veteran ahead into cap house, they not solely received a beginning participant who suited up for all 82 video games and had a career-year as a shooter, ending within the high 10 within the league in three-point subject purpose proportion, but in addition a 2031 choose swap with the Kings that might be very useful. It was a unbelievable use of cap room so as to add property and plug holes that may have been thought-about successful even when Barnes had simply been strong. As talked about, he was far more than that, on and off the court docket.
It was clear from the second the commerce was mentioned that Barnes really wished to be in San Antonio and believed within the roster. He waived his commerce kicker to permit the Spurs to maintain Julian Champagnie and by no means took an evening off, main by instance. He stepped up when wanted, incomes the primary Participant of the Week of his lengthy profession and having large nights as an out of doors menace. It wasn’t all perimeter work. Barnes additionally drove to the rim to attract fouls and didn’t complain when he was assigned to protect facilities when Mitch Johnson went small, principally out of necessity. Something that might have been requested for from a veteran on the court docket, Barnes delivered, whereas additionally instantly making an impression within the metropolis with charitable donations.
There have been some dangerous moments, after all. Largely due to his position however typically because of his passivity, there have been occasions when Barnes disappeared on offense. Defensively he was strong when it got here to containing his man however not very disruptive, and he understandably struggled with larger or faster gamers. However total, Barnes was a key piece when the workforce was doing nicely, earlier than the lengthy street journey and Victor Wembanyama’s well being scare, and a fantastic chief who helped hold professionalism intact as soon as the season was unofficially over.
Trying forward
Probably the most attention-grabbing factor about Barnes’ season is that it might need been too good. In concept, after buying him by way of commerce and getting an asset for him, the Spurs would now look to flip Barnes and his expiring contract to a contender for a few second-rounders or a younger prospect. He was so good for them and he did a lot for the neighborhood, nevertheless, that there’s a robust case to maintain him. Barnes was the most effective nook shooters within the league, but in addition was essentially the most environment friendly Spur from above the break. He had the second-best free-throw charge on the workforce behind Stephon Citadel, and he turned the ball over the least by a mile. Barnes is a job participant any workforce would like to have, together with the Spurs.
So they only hold him, proper? Nicely, the Spurs have three picks within the upcoming draft (two lottery ones and a second-rounder) and so they have two different forwards who’re youthful and on longer offers in Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson, and a really low cost wing who has related abilities in Julian Champagnie. Barnes appears to like San Antonio, however he’ll be an unrestricted free agent searching for his final large contract subsequent offseason, and it will not make quite a lot of sense for the Spurs to be those that hand it to him. And if he regresses or they play him much less, both as a result of somebody at present on the roster steps up or the entrance workplace drafts a ahead, his commerce worth would lower.
Barnes was so good and has returned a lot worth already that he shouldn’t be handled like simply an asset, which is shocking for somebody who has solely spent a season in San Antonio. The entrance workplace can change programs on the deadline, however for now, it makes essentially the most sense to maintain essentially the most constant participant from final season because the workforce makes an attempt to make the playoffs.
High efficiency
April 9 on the Golden State Warriors. 20 factors, 4 rebounds, two assists, the game-winning bucket.
Remaining grade: A
Up subsequent: Chris Paul
Earlier Critiques:
Bismack Biyombo, Charles Bassey, Malaki Branham
Blake Wesley
Sandro Mamukelashvili
De’Aaron Fox
Julian Champagnie
Jeremy Sochan
Keldon Johnson
