Nice post and good analysis. I definitely think of Scheyer when it comes to intuitive play - I think Seth can also be really crafty and smart, and am expecting big things from him this season. I'm certainly no Barnes apologist and love me some piling on, but I think people on this board short-change his career. Was Barnes a transcendent player? No. Was he a really good college player? Yes.
Originally Posted by
gumbomoop
But Craft became a great college player, and Barnes didn’t. Why? As noted above, maybe, and ironically, Barnes was simply overshadowed by the presence of a great, great passer, whose great passes made Zeller and Henson potent O-weapons, thus depriving Barnes of a few opportunities per game.
Numbers from 2011-12:
Code:
Player MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Barnes 28.8 .450 .382 .728 5.2 1.0 1.1 0.4 17.3
Craft 32.2 .500 .359 .713 3.2 4.6 2.5 0.2 8.8
I realize they play different positions so comparisons like this aren't necessarily apples-to-apples, but Barnes averaged more points, rebounds, and blocks, while playing fewer minutes and shooting a higher percentage from three and the line. One could certainly argue that Craft is a better college player than Barnes, but to unequivocally say Craft is a great player and Barnes isn't seems a bit specious. Barnes also certainly did not have only a few opportunities per game - he had the most FG attempts on his team. As a comparison, in Singler's senior season, he averaged 16.9 ppg in 34.8 minutes, shooting 43% from the field and 32% from three point land. Again, I'm not Barnes' fan, but I can at least appreciate that he was a very solid player on the court.