Welcome to Pounding the Rock’s 2024-25 player reviews! The series will look at the players who finished the season with the San Antonio Spurs on guaranteed contracts and who played consequential minutes and/or a vital role (so no two-way players because we hardly saw them this year, and no players who were traded away).
Harrison Barnes
2024-25 stats: 27.2 MPG, 12.3 points, 3.8 rebounds. 43.3 3FG%
Contract Status: 1 year, $19 million remaining
Age: 32
Looking back, the Spurs cleaned up on the trade that got Harrison Barnes to San Antonio. By being willing to take the veteran forward into cap space, they not only got a starting player who suited up for all 82 games and had a career-year as a shooter, finishing in the top 10 in the league in three-point field goal percentage, but also a 2031 pick swap with the Kings that could be very valuable. It was a fantastic use of cap room to add assets and plug holes that would have been considered a success even if Barnes had just been solid. As mentioned, he was much more than that, on and off the court.
It was clear from the moment the trade was discussed that Barnes actually wanted to be in San Antonio and believed in the roster. He waived his trade kicker to allow the Spurs to keep Julian Champagnie and never took a night off, leading by example. He stepped up when needed, earning the first Player of the Week of his long career and having big nights as an outside threat. It wasn’t all perimeter work. Barnes also drove to the rim to draw fouls and didn’t complain when he was assigned to guard centers when Mitch Johnson went small, mostly out of necessity. Anything that could have been asked for from a veteran on the court, Barnes delivered, while also immediately making an impact in the city with charitable donations.
There were some bad moments, of course. Largely because of his role but sometimes due to his passivity, there were times when Barnes disappeared on offense. Defensively he was solid when it came to containing his man but not very disruptive, and he understandably struggled with bigger or quicker players. But overall, Barnes was a key piece when the team was doing well, before the long road trip and Victor Wembanyama’s health scare, and a great leader who helped keep professionalism intact once the season was unofficially over.
Looking ahead
The most interesting thing about Barnes’ season is that it might have been too good. In theory, after acquiring him via trade and getting an asset for him, the Spurs would now look to flip Barnes and his expiring contract to a contender for a couple of second-rounders or a young prospect. He was so good for them and he did so much for the community, however, that there’s a powerful case to keep him. Barnes was one of the best corner shooters in the league, but also was the most efficient Spur from above the break. He had the second-best free-throw rate on the team behind Stephon Castle, and he turned the ball over the least by a mile. Barnes is a role player any team would love to have, including the Spurs.
So they just keep him, right? Well, the Spurs have three picks in the upcoming draft (two lottery ones and a second-rounder) and they have two other forwards who are younger and on longer deals in Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson, and a very cheap wing who has similar skills in Julian Champagnie. Barnes seems to love San Antonio, but he’ll be an unrestricted free agent looking for his last big contract next offseason, and it would not make a lot of sense for the Spurs to be the ones that hand it to him. And if he regresses or they play him less, either because someone currently on the roster steps up or the front office drafts a forward, his trade value would decrease.
Barnes was so good and has returned so much value already that he shouldn’t be treated like just an asset, which is surprising for someone who has only spent a season in San Antonio. The front office can change courses at the deadline, but for now, it makes the most sense to keep the most consistent player from last season as the team attempts to make the playoffs.
Top performance
April 9 at the Golden State Warriors. 20 points, four rebounds, two assists, the game-winning bucket.
Final grade: A
Up next: Chris Paul
Previous Reviews:
Bismack Biyombo, Charles Bassey, Malaki Branham