After just a so so regular season, rookie Harrison Barnes has played like a veteran early in the 2013 NBA Playoffs, and his play has been a big part of why the Golden State Warriors are on the verge of advancing to the second round.
The Warriors hold a commanding three games to one lead over the third-seeded Denver Nuggets, with Barnes averaging 17 points on .576 from the field before coming back down to Earth and scoring just four points in game four, this coming after Barnes averaged just 9.2 points and .439 from the field during the regular season.
Barnes’ contributions has allowed the Warriors to withstand the loss of David Lee, who went down with a hip injury in the first game of the series. Once Lee went down, Barnes immediately picked up his production. Barnes scored 24 points and chipped in six rebounds in game two, then followed it up with 19 points and seven rebounds in game three.
The Warriors selected Barnes seventh overall last summer, and the athletic small forward fit Golden State’s up tempo style play perfectly. Barnes’ play was up and down — which is typical for a 20-year old rookie — but he flashed enough potential to give head coach Mark Jackson confidence that he could handle a larger role with Lee out.
If Barnes can continue to play at this level, Golden State’s odds of contending in the now wide open Western Conference. Seemingly every team in the playoffs is dealing with a major injury, but with Barnes upping his production the Warriors should be one of the teams that can weather the storm.
