Post by jhb on May 26, 2021 8:35:58 GMT -5
Matt Barnes
SF
6'7"
226
22
UCLA
Four years ago, Barnes arrived at UCLA as an extremely green athlete who happened to play basketball. But he's a grinder and has showed some vast improvement in his game during that time. After two seasons as a bit player, he broke into the starting lineup as a junior and then showed tremendous growth in his second season as a starter in his senior year. He's got some tools that will allow him to stick in TMBSL even though he may not be as polished as some of his fellow potential draftees, those tools are such that he should be able to stick in the league as a role player at worst. You also can't put it past Barnes to continue to grind and improve his game despite being closer to the older end of the spectrum in his class.
Offensively, the biggest thing to note about Barnes has been the improvement of his shot mechanics in his time at UCLA. He was so putrid from three in his first two seasons as a role player that they basically told him to stop shooting them as a junior and his rate of shots per 40 minutes dropped dramatically. Then he came back in the offseason after putting the work in and hit 42% from three on over 3 attempts per game. He showed tremendous ability to elevate and square his shoulders and should be a threat as a catch and shoot option, especially from the corners. While he hasn't shown the ability to hit his jumpshot when off-balance or highly contested, he should be a fine option to help space the floor and convert when receiving the extra pass. Despite the improvement in his mechanics, he still needs to improve his consistency at the free throw line where he still only made 62% of his shots as a senior.
He is an excellent mover without the basketball, which is good because he's not great at creating his own shot off the dribble on the perimeter. He does a good job of moving around to get open on the perimeter or find his way to the basket for a nice back cut opportunity. He's also a team player who moves the ball well and intelligently. While not a prolific dunker, he finishes well at the rim with some finesse and has shown a floater that he can use when challenged by a big man in the paint, but he needs to do a better job of playing control when he attempts the dribble drive. He has shown improved confidence in his back-to-the-basket game and converted some nice opportunities there for the Bruins, using his strength to finish through contact and get to the charity stripe.
Defensively, Barnes' ability on this end has always been ahead of what he's shown on the offensive end, which is why he stuck in the rotation immediately at UCLA. He has the lateral quickness to defend on the perimeter and the strength to drop down and defend smaller bigs. He's got the ability to fight through screens or switch and cover most players on the floor in a pinch. He's a hustle player and that definitely shines through on the defensive boards, where he really holds his own for a small forward.