Dallas Mavericks: Harrison Barnes questionable for opening night

Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury, but his status for opening night is still up in the air.

The Dallas Mavericks have been without their leading scorer from last season. Harrison Barnes injured his hamstring early in training camp and missed all three preseason games to date. Barnes did not travel with the team to China but instead stayed in Dallas to rehab. Mavs fans received an update on his status on Oct. 10.

Coach Carlisle not ruling him out

The Mavericks had their first practice in Dallas after the China trip on Wednesday. Coach Rick Carlisle met with the media and discussed a plethora of topics. Below is a quote from Carlisle on Harrison Barnes courtesy of Dwain Price.

"His availability on opening night is going to depend on if he can get some significant live practice in." -- Carlisle on Harrison Barnes, who missed the 1st 3 preseason games with a strained right hamstring @dallasmavs #Mavs
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) October 10, 2018

The regular season opener is on Oct. 17, so time is winding down for Barnes to get those reps in. The Mavs have their final preseason game on Friday and likely take at least one day off from practice. That means Barnes only has four or five chances to get the work in. He seems unlikely to play opening night.

The good news is Barnes appears close to returning. He may miss a few regular season games but should be back at some point early on.

Barnes on his injury

Dwain Price also got a few noteworthy quotes from Barnes himself. The first is on him wanting to play on opening night.

Harrison Barnes told https://t.co/PDgV8W6yju of his desire to play opening day against the @Suns., “You want to be out there opening day, but at the same time we’re trying to build something. The injury is coming along well and I’m just making progress every day." @dallasmavs
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) October 11, 2018

Barnes also discussed if he would be healthy enough to play on Oct. 17.

Harrison Barnes on if he'll be able to play in the regular season opener against the @Suns next Wednesday. "I’ve got to sit with the training staff. I’m just trying to do everything I can to follow the protocol and go from there.” @dallasmavs #Mavs
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) October 11, 2018

Final thoughts

Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes is recovering from his hamstring injury, but his status for the regular season opener in Phoenix is questionable. Barnes has led the Mavs in scoring two straight season, so the team needs him back at full strength. On a positive note, Barnes’ health continues to improve.

Next. Harrison Barnes injury has massive impact on starting 5

Hopefully, Harrison Barnes quickly recovers and plays on opening night against the Suns. That would make the NBA regular season debut of Luka Doncic just a touch better. Stay tuned for another update on his injury as it comes out.

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