Is Harrison Barnes a bust?

He is a prototype NBA small forward, I don't think there are position concerns at the NBA. He's no tweener. People hate on Barnes because is not an isolation player. Almost all elite players in the NBA are great isolation players. You can throw them the ball and tell them to get buckets. Barnes is not adept at this. Barnes is best playing off-ball, running of screens, catch-n-shoot, attack creases in the defense, pump-fake and pull-up ... you get it. You don't throw Barnes the ball and tell him to create. He'll be a solid NBA 3rd option who can play solid defense and contribute on the boards. Think Luol Deng or an older Grant Hill or something along that line. Barnes almost looks too fundamental to me, even robotic at times. He has no playground at all in his game. A lot of the great isolation players have some playground in their game. They can spin with the ball, change directions with ball, some hesitation/funk to their game, a tear-drop/floater, something. This adds some creativity to their game. Barnes utilizes fundamentally sound two-dribble pull-up jumpshots and drop steps.
Body wise yes a prototype 3, offensively no.

Also has the size and length for a 3 on D but is too slow.
 
As Jon said, he doesn't appear to be having fun. The price of fame sometimes.....

I also wondered about the preseason AA first team nomination. Seemed a bit premature.....

Harrison is highly skilled and will play in the NBA, almost certain to be a lottery pick when he decides to go. His stock was very high at the end of last season.....

At any rate, I doesn't bother me a bit, that North Carolina will not have a chance to win the National Championship this season. Roy Williams streak remains intact. He has not won a NC at Kansas or North Carolina with one of his Hawkeye State Kidnappings.....

:D
 
I think Paige needs to read that article!! See what he's gonna be up against out there. ;). Wont have that kind of scrutiny HERE. just worship
 
This is laughable, calling Barnes a bust is just stupid.

Not really considering all the acclaim coming out of high school. And that was on the national scale. He was the first EVER freshman to be AP Preseason All-American. What has he done at North Carolina to prove otherwise? Whenever he has had a chance to be "the guy" he has folded like a cheap lawn chair.
 
He's like Felipe Lopez, not a bust but extremely underwhelming given the recruiting hype.

Bad comparison, he is far better than Lopez...he has been dinged up this year; he had a better year last year and no injuries.

He is far from a bust, but being a preseason All-American prior to setting foot on campus is the kind of hype nobody will live up too.

Think about it, he was named that before his college career started...anything short of that out of any season is now considered a disappointment because it makes the people that put him on that pedestal bad; therefore more is made of his career than most players. Those same people that put him on the pedestal are the same ones who are criticizing him now...makes a lot of sense.
 
Bad comparison, he is far better than Lopez...he has been dinged up this year; he had a better year last year and no injuries.

He is far from a bust, but being a preseason All-American prior to setting foot on campus is the kind of hype nobody will live up too.

Think about it, he was named that before his college career started...anything short of that out of any season is now considered a disappointment because it makes the people that put him on that pedestal bad; therefore more is made of his career than most players. Those same people that put him on the pedestal are the same ones who are criticizing him now...makes a lot of sense.

How so? Their stats are very similar, Lopez averaged 17 a game in the Big East as a freshman without any teammates near as talented as Barnes has. How has Barnes been better?
 
How so? Their stats are very similar, Lopez averaged 17 a game in the Big East as a freshman without any teammates near as talented as Barnes has. How has Barnes been better?

Barnes plays on a far better team and shares the wealth so to speak.

Having watched both of them in their careers, it really isn't close to me...numbers are what they are, but Lopez wasn't really even a decent player until his Senior year.
 
How about teams figured out how to play him better in his second year. Kid should have stayed home and went to Iowa St. Look at the pub Royce White wound up getting on the national scale. It's the big fish little pond scenario. Marcus Paige should stay home as well and go to Iowa. Oh well.
 
Barnes plays on a far better team and shares the wealth so to speak.

Having watched both of them in their careers, it really isn't close to me...numbers are what they are, but Lopez wasn't really even a decent player until his Senior year.

Barnes plays on an uptempo team with a great pg and two lottery picks in the front court. That's not a handicap. Lopez was an All Big East pick and averaged almost 18 a game as a freshman, to say he wasn't even really a decent player until he was a senior is ridiculous.
 
How so? Their stats are very similar, Lopez averaged 17 a game in the Big East as a freshman without any teammates near as talented as Barnes has. How has Barnes been better?
Barnes plays on a far better team and shares the wealth so to speak. Having watched both of them in their careers, it really isn't close to me...numbers are what they are, but Lopez wasn't really even a decent player until his Senior year.

The argument of him being on a good team only goes so far because he will be on better teams in the NBA playing against better ones also.
 
How about teams figured out how to play him better in his second year.
I would have to agree with that and I think the injuries have played a part into it as well.

have to agree. look at kansas. they played a triangle and 2 and were guarding bullock and barnes the perimeter scorers. mixing up defenses to take barnes out of it yet he still averaged like 17 pts.

the only thing i would say is he wont be elite in the pros because he needs a pg to help. elite can still do it...look at kobe and durant (no westbrook isnt a true pg). barnes needs a little help. but his game is more geared for the pros he is solid shooter and isolates well just in the college game when they isolate him they run lots of doubles at him so he cant isolate and he needs to become a better passer in those instances.
 
have to agree. look at kansas. they played a triangle and 2 and were guarding bullock and barnes the perimeter scorers. mixing up defenses to take barnes out of it yet he still averaged like 17 pts.

the only thing i would say is he wont be elite in the pros because he needs a pg to help. elite can still do it...look at kobe and durant (no westbrook isnt a true pg). barnes needs a little help. but his game is more geared for the pros he is solid shooter and isolates well just in the college game when they isolate him they run lots of doubles at him so he cant isolate and he needs to become a better passer in those instances.

You could not be more wrong here. He struggles to get to the hoop in any isolation play, he's always settling for the pull up jumper. He's a good shooter but he is not going to be a good isolation player in the pros. He has a very average first step. And the only reason they triangle and two'd him was because Marshall was out and Henson hurt, he did not see defenses like that consistently this year.
 

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