Dan Patrick's comment on Barnes was that he played "politely" this weekend. I hadn't thought of it that way.
Hearing that made me wonder if Barnes was worried about injury, and especially about his draft stock.
As much as UNC missed Marshall, I think Barnes is more to blame for the loss. If he hits a decent percentage of his shots they would have not gone to OT against Ohio and probably would have beaten Kansas. I know Marshall gets Barnes easier looks but come on. White and Watts filled in pretty good and combined for about Marshall's average. I realize that neither are nearly the playmaker that Marshall is, but you would think the 2 time pre-season All-American and team's leading scorer could manage to hit a few shots without Marshall holding him by the hand.
Dan Patrick's comment on Barnes was that he played "politely" this weekend. I hadn't thought of it that way.
Hearing that made me wonder if Barnes was worried about injury, and especially about his draft stock.
I don't think it was about injury...I think that is just Barnes personality as a player. I think he plays too mechanically, too much thinking on the court. He looks like he takes shots when he thinks he needs to take shots, or he tries to take over a game when he is expected to...some people call it "soft" but the fire to take it to his opponent isn't there, to dominate the game and enforce his will. This attitude is much more apparent in Zeller, who is always going at you when he is on the court. Think if you put someone like Austin's motor and will into Barnes' body. That would be a special player.
Last year the black pigeon earned a reputation as a "clutch" player. He hit several big shots throughout the course of the season. However, I certainly agree that he doesn't have that killer instinct to enforce his will on an entire game. If he was truly an elite player (as his national reputation suggests) his superiority would be evident throughout the course of a game, and a season.
Yesterday could have been HIS MOMENT, instead, it was a prime example of the major deficiencies in his game. And while this may be wishful thinking as a Duke fan, if I were him, imagine what another subpar season could do to his NBA stock, and how much money he could lose if he was to return and play poorly or be injured. Kid needs to take his money and run, get an agent and out of CH.
For me, the single most important physical skill, especially for perimeter players, is handle. Barnes spent last summer working on it, with still-limited success.
The single most important mental/psychological attribute, again, for me, is relentlessness. These 2 posts...
... reflect what I see as Barnes's other very basic flaw. He isn't relentless, by a long shot.
The obvious contrast is with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, whose handle and motor are much superior.
Another comparison that struck me was Barnes vs Grant Hill at a similar stage of their college career.
Both were advertised as versatile, talented small forwards and were approximately the same size.
What happened when Grant Hill's team lost it's point guard to injury for a key stretch?
Duke 77 Louisiana State 67
Grant stepped into the primary ball handling role and responded with a clutch performance against a very tough opponent (Shaq in the middle) on the road.
His stat line included
40 minutes
16 points on 6-9 FG shooting
9 rebounds
6 assists
3 turnovers
And he was likable.
"soft?". No way. He's the "Black Falcon!".