Washington Wizards: An Analytical Look at Free Agent Alternatives to Kevin Durant in Free Agency

Harrison Barnes

Can Harrison Barnes be a franchise player? 6.2

This is a tough one and required us to run Harrison Barnes through the WoA Factor machine a couple of times and re-check our algorithms.

Is Harrison Barnes a player whose opportunity is blocked by great teammates?

Harrison is scoring a career high in points and shooting nearly 41 percent from the 3-point line.

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He’s a solid defensive player who runs the floor and offers the versatility to play multiple positions, but is he a franchise player?

Nobody seems to know, but the expectation is some team will pay max contract value to Harrison Barnes in the hopes that he is one.

It is difficult, however, to predict that level of upside for a player with a career high PER of 13.7, a player who has never truly seemed to live up the hype surrounding him dating back to his North Carolina days.

Is he James Harden, a player who just needs a lead opportunity (although Harden was a much better statistical player in OKC than Barnes is in Golden State) or is he Calbert Chaney — a player who people kept waiting on but never became more than a solid player.

Can Harrison Barnes make the Wizards a contender? 5.8

Harrison Barnes, at minimum, would give the Washington Wizards a player who has performed as a role player on a championship team to the roster.

At age 23 you would have to expect some growth, and once again, he’d provide Washington with a young enough nucleus that as they develop should be able to push the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference Championship

Can Harrison Barnes be more popular than a Chik Fil-A sandwich? 3.2

No.

I have never seen a player look less joyless on the basketball court. There’s stoic, and then there’s looking like you literally have ice in your veins.

Harrison Barnes makes some spectacular plays on the court that will get the crowd on their feet for sure, but not enough to slow down the Chik Fil-A machine.

WoA Factor: 15.2

Next: 3) DeRozan