Positional Power Rankings: 30 best power forwards in the NBA
By John Buhler
Harrison Barnes
Power Forward, Dallas Mavericks
In basketball lore, Harrison Barnes will go down as the 12th man on the 2016 Team USA squad in the Rio Games and the guy that Kevin Durant replaced on the juggernaut Golden State Warriors. While he hasn’t been a dominant player for his new team in the Dallas Mavericks, there is reason to believe that Barnes will carve out a successful stint in Dallas when it is all said and done.
Most people would think of Harrison Barnes as a wing but according to Basketball-Reference, he’s played 60 percent of his minutes this season as a small ball power forward. Barnes will be able to unleash the best parts of his game at the stretch four. The idea is that Dallas has two big men that can play stretch five with Barnes at the four: center Nerlens Noel and power forward Dirk Nowitzki.
Noel can run the floor very well for a big man and is quickly becoming a strong rim protector defensively. Nowitzki has that lethal jump shot on offense and can hold his own on the glass defensively in the low post. Having Barnes outside to knock down shots at the stretch four could take his game to the next level in Dallas.
Yes, he is slight of built for a traditional power forward, but Barnes does have the wingspan to cover guys both out on the perimeter and on the block. Barnes isn’t perfect, but he is the type of player that can start for any playoff team at the three and be a crunch-time four should a team decide to go up tempo.