There’s no way that even the most ardent of Mavericks diehards expected this kind of performance from Harrison Barnes this early in the season. Not after the preseason he had. I know, I know, you don’t need to tell me that preseason stats mean nothing. But his were just SO BAD. If you told me that Barnes was going to score 31 at some point during the season, I would have predicted that it occurred in April while the Mavs were finishing up a 30-win season.
I don’t think he took this many midrange jumpers all of last year with the Warriors. It’s crazy! Where did he get the idea that he could make them? Can he even make them? Was this all just a fluke?
I don’t think this proves much of anything about how good or not good his contract is. 2 games of decent performance, while a happy surprise after his dismal you-know-what, is not very many to judge a player by. Stay tuned for more Harrison-Barnes-Contract-Goodness updates as the season progresses.