XTC wrote:PPG - 19.7 #37
RPG - 7.9 #25
APG - 5.9 #22
SPG - 1.5 #11
BPG - 1.1 #26
TO - 2.8
Fouls - 1.9
TS - 52.4% #185 (out of 203 players)
PER - 17.9 #52
BPM - 2.4 #43
VORP - 2.0 #41
EPM - 1.8 #61
I think the sample size is large enough we can start breaking down his season.
It's pretty clear his best trait is his defense, he's one of the best defenders in the NBA. He's one of the top defenders in the league IMO, he offers a ton of versatility, and it's huge he doesn't foul a ton. The stats back this up, when he plays we have a DRTG of 113.8, when he sits our defense plummets and we have a DRTG of 118.4... Once the team gets better I do believe he can start making some all defensive teams.
His second best trait is his playmaking, he is a legit point forward who can run an offense without turning over the ball. Being able to run an offense at his size without turning the ball over is a positive skill. His scoring is so abysmal however it's hard to justify him having the ball so much. I think he's best suited as a secondary ball handler ala Draymond Green, Lamar Odom.
He is absolutely worthless as a scorer. He doesn't have the volume or the efficiency, it's not even worth talking about. His usage needs to be scaled down next season, but then the question arises... do you run your offense through a guy who can't put the ball through the hoop? The offense actually gets worst when Barnes is on the court. When he plays we have an ORTG of 110.4, but when he sits we have an ORTG of 112.3
His advance stats paint him as a guy who is a top 50 player in the NBA at the moment, which is fair IMO. I don't know how much better he can get without scaling down his offensive work load, because his assists numbers will suffer if we take the ball out of his hands. It's not feasible for a guy with such disastrous efficiency to have the ball in his hands. It's really hard to picture a team being successful with Barnes being the focal point of the offense.
Barnes simply needs to get to the FT line, his FTr has been rising every year including this one, lower the 3Pr (26.7% on 4.4 attempts) is pretty much the reason why his TS% is in the gutter.
As for the 3P itself, he needs to have a hot zone somewhere and stick to it for now, this year has been by far his worst 3P shooting season in his career.
But yes, he's pretty much not a #1 option or close even with all that as his PPG likely tops out at 22PPG on better efficiency (you need a 3 to really get to 25+PPG imo)
As for his 3, let's just hopes it rebounds to at least 30% next year which isn't a huge ask.