Harrison Barnes Has The Potential To Be A Star In The NBA

By Alejandro Aviles
Harrison Barnes
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

When the Golden State Warriors drafted Harrison Barnes with the seventh overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft many people were a bit surprised. Some people thought Barnes’ selection was too high and that the Warriors should go with someone else. However, with the way Barnes has played in his rookie season the Warriors knew exactly what they were doing.

The UNC product has started all 44 games he has appeared in this season and has averaged 8.9 PPG and 4.3 RPG while shooting 43 percent shooting. Also, Barnes was named to the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge player pool. The Rising Stars challenge is an All-Star Weekend game that features the top young players in their first or second season. Barnes has been a big part of the resurgence in Golden State and I could see him being an NBA star someday.

Barnes is having a great rookie season, and I can only see him getting better. He has great work ethic and possesses great talent, and these traits will help make him a star. The rookie plays the small forward and has a pretty good shot to go along with decent ball handling skills, but one thing that he must improve on is his defense.

It is not that Barnes is a bad defender but with his athletic ability he could be doing much more. Barnes only averages 0.7 SPG and 0.2 BPG and with his athletic frame he has room for improvement. However, Barnes is still only a rookie, so there is definitely a learning curve he needs to go through.

Warriors head coach Mark Jackson preaches defense and I think he will be able to help develop Barnes into a star. Under Jackson Barnes will become a much better player and it will only be a matter of time before he becomes a good defensive player.

In a few years the Warriors will be an even more dangerous team and Barnes will be a huge part of their success as he realizes his potential as an NBA star.

Alejandro Aviles is a writer for Rant Sports and regular NBA contributor @aaviles312

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