By Will Z:
Monte McNair and the Sacramento Kings are facing one of their most crucial decisions in years; that’s what to do with Free Agent Harrison Barnes. Barnes has been a member of Kings for the last 5 seasons and helped bring them back to relevancy last season with his steady play. With their other 4 starters seemingly set with De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis, the last position standing to fill is the second wing position.
There are a few options out there that might be slight upgrades over Barnes, but let’s take a look at the top 4 reasons bringing back the 11-year veteran would continue to be a great fit for this team.
1. Consistency is Key
The Denver Nuggets just won the NBA Championship in possibly the quietest way possible. By slowly building their roster and adding key players here and there, they kept a large group of both players and coaches together for years en route to their first title in franchise history. There were plenty of opportunities they had to blow things up or shift to a different direction by either trading Jamal Murray or moving on from Mike Malone. Instead, they chose to stay true to what they were building and are now looking like a yearly title contender coming off of the championship this year.
Relating this to the Kings, the vibes in the drought-breaking season were immaculate, and it’s hard to imagine Barnes didn’t have a huge key in that. A consummate professional who showed up every day, played every game, and bought into the all-in mentality, Barnes ticked all of the boxes last season. There’s no reason to think that he won’t continue to do the same in the next 3-4 years as well.
2. Low Usage Rate – High Production Rate
Harrison Barnes has the extremely unique ability to produce at a high level in the quietest way possible. Think back to all his time and Sacramento and all the games where you have to take a double look at the box score to see that Barnes scored 20 Points on 13 or fewer Field Goal Attempts. (That would be 16 times this season, 2nd most in the NBA only to Sabonis.)
Last season, Barnes had a Usage Rate of 16.8%, tied for 7th highest on the team with Chimezie Metu. The fact that he averaged 15.0 Points with that low usage is truly remarkable. Of the 208 players (min 20 Games Played) that had a Usage Rate of 17.0% or lower, Barnes’ 15 Points per game ranked 1st.
When you have players like Fox and Sabonis who thrive with the ball in their hands, and a young player in Keegan who has shown flashes of self-creation, having a player who can chip in that type of production is something that is hard to move on from.
Looking at some of the other favorite wing options, they all have higher Usage Rates than the Kings veteran: Kyle Kuzma - 27.3%, Pascal Siakam - 27%, Khris Middleton - 25.9%, Kelly Oubre Jr. - 25.7%, Jerami Grant - 22.7%, Dillon Brooks - 21.4%, Cam Johnson - 20.2%, O.G. Anunoby - 19.2%, Bruce Brown - 17.4%.
Some of them bring the ability to go create their own shot, but Barnes’ seamless fit in this offense is hard to look past.
3. Free Throws and Team Offense Versatility
One of the reasons that Barnes has that high production rate is the fact that he is one of the best players in the league at getting to the Free Throw line. His 5.0 FTAs per game ranked 33rd in the NBA and he was a huge reason that the Kings as a team attempted 25.1 freebies per contest, 5th most in the league. He, Fox, and Sabonis combined to average 16.5 FTAs per game, and the Kings were one of two teams that had 3 players average 5 per night (Knicks – RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle).
It's no secret that the Kings had the best offense in the league last year, but what may be overlooked is the importance of those Free Throws. The Kings could beat you in so many different ways. They could outshoot their opponents from 3, punish them in the paint, beat them on the boards, or yes, win the Free Throw battle. That versatility is so unique that it keeps opponents from being able to game plan for only one thing.
Once again looking at the other options, Siakam and Grant are great at getting to the line, with 6.7 and 5.4 attempts per game, respectfully, but no one else on the list can match or beat Barnes’ production at the charity stripe.
Connecting this once again to the low usage, Barnes brings that unique ability to get to the line with the low rate. Just like with the Points, of the 208 players with a 17% or lower Usage Rate, Barnes’ 5.0 FTA ranks 1st.
4. Connection with Domantas Sabonis
Last but certainly not least is Barnes’ ability to work off of Sabonis is the dribble handoff game. Most people focused on the Sabonis and Huerter connection, but Barnes also thrived working off of Sabonis. He shot 45.5% on his 110 3-Point Attempts that came off of passes from Sabonis. According to NBA.com, he ranked in the 79.6th percentile in the Handoff Playtype. Simply put, he’s an above-average shooter, a solid cutter, and a great fit for the offense that Mike Brown runs.
There are parts of Barnes’ game that leaves you wanting a little more; defense, rebounding, passing, but he excelled in his role on offense with the Kings last year. Are you willing to shake things up and look for the next best thing, or do you want to bring Harrison back and run this back with a few other tweaks this year? I’m just thankful I’m on the outside looking in and don’t have to be the one to make the final decision.