Expectations For Each Starter in Dallas

Small Forward: Harrison Barnes

Harrison Barnes, the new Maverick. The most anticipated newcomer on the roster this year. Harrison spent the whole beginning of his career playing for an absolutely loaded Golden State team. Although his position wasn’t really too stacked, the opportunity certainly was limited.

Barnes was most known for his absolute meltdown in the finals. There were times in the series where benching him was almost the most logical solution. Even Mavs fans can admit that he was awful. Now, that does not give Dallas any less hope for him. Even in his crowded lineup, he managed to put up 11.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

When you imagine Barnes in another uniform, it almost doesn’t feel right. But, he should have the perfect chance to be the star he was thought to be before being put in his situation in Golden State.

If he can be a presence to be felt on offense, Dallas will go through him. He also seems pretty upset about the Warriors just dumping him to sign Kevin Durant. This is the year he will breakout if he’s going to.

In college, Harrison averaged 16.3 points per game over two seasons. This could be a healthy expectation for him in the upcoming year. If he were to get to 16 points per game, he would beat out any other NBA season average of his by nearly 5 points a contest.

The only scary thing about him trying to have this breakout year is it’s his first year as a Mav. He may need some adjusting before he’s ready for that step. As a Mavs fan, you can look forward to Barnes improving his numbers from last year. This is almost too obvious for it not to happen.

He will finally be in a situation where he can be the main guy, and not the 4th or 5th option. Dallas should be ready for Harrison Barnes to put in around 17 points per game next year and get us all excited for his future in a Maverick uniform.

Next: Power Forward: Dirk Nowitzki