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NBA Draft Profile: Harrison Barnes
- Updated: May 18, 2012
By: Kels Dayton
HARRISON BARNES
6-8, 215 lbs.
Hometown: Ames, IA
School: North Carolina
Class: Sophomore
Photo: Wilmington Star-News Online
STRENGTHS: If the NBA hadn’t instituted its new age limit policy, Barnes may have been a lottery pick coming out of high school in 2010. The 6-8 forward was the top-rated player in his class and was the first freshman ever to be named a preseason All-American. Barnes has great size and a feathery shooting touch. He’s got a terrific mid-range jump shot, which gives him the ability to create space and attack the rim. He’s got great balance and always plays with his head up, which makes him a threat to find the open man at all times. Barnes was the Tar Heels’ go-to guy down the stretch in games, averaging 17.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest.
WEAKNESSES: The holes in Harrison Barnes’ game became glaring once Kendall Marshall went out with an injury in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He cannot create his own shot, which absolutely killed the Tar Heels at times in their final two games of the season. Barnes also lacks the first-step quickness necessary to attack the basket, and has shown himself to be a defensive liability against speedy wing players.
BOTTOM LINE: Harrison Barnes will be a fixture at the next level, and has the chance to develop into a really good NBA wing if he can find a way to create for himself off of the dribble. Even if he can’t, Barnes’ rebounding and shooting ability will make him a constant in someone’s rotation. Not a bad way to make a living, even if he never does reach the star potential that some scouts believe he has.