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10 biggest surprises of the early 2016-17 NBA season

Chip Murphy
10 biggest surprises of the early 2016-17 NBA season
November 21, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) moves the ball against Los Angeles Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute (12) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

https://youtu.be/UChaa1yEoD8

Who’s Harrison Barnes?

Harrison Barnes had the worst good summer ever. He went to the NBA Finals, but he was a Twitter punchline during the whole thing. He won a gold medal in the Olympics, but he was the one guy who remained buried on the bench the entire time. He stayed a joke.

When the Dallas Mavericks signed Barnes to a max contract, they were mocked as bad as him. But right now he’s the only semi-good thing they have going for them.

The Mavs are the worst team in the NBA and are finally going to have to go through that rebuild they’ve been able to avoid for so long. The jury is still out on Barnes as it hasn’t even been 15 games yet, but the Mavs have thrown a huge load on his shoulders right away.

https://youtu.be/QTZHNbNqNfI

He’s averaging nearly 18 FGAs per game with a usage percentage of 26.3 percent. His career averages are 8.8 and 16.8 percent, respectively.

After a red-hot start, Barnes has cooled off. Especially from three-point range where he’s 3-for-15 in his last seven games.

His scoring numbers will stay high, probably over 20 points per game, even if the efficiency isn’t there but we still don’t know who the hell Harrison Barnes is?

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Chip Murphy
Chip Murphy

I'm ESNY's Executive Editor for EliteSportsNY.com.
I cover the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.
Email: chip.murphy@elitesportsny.com

Chip Murphy covers the NBA for Elite Sports NY. You can find him on Twitter @ChipperMurphy.