Best NBA Draft Fits for Tar Heels Star Harrison Barnes
Harrison Barnes has been up and down the draft board ever since the Tar Heels were bounced from the NCAA tournament. According to some pundits, he's a better fit than Thomas Robinson for most of the teams with the first few picks; some even believe Robinson or Andre Drummond have more upside and therefore warrant a top-five selection.
Barnes, who averaged 17.1 points per game for North Carolina last season, is the perfect size for an NBA small forward at 6'8" and 210 pounds, but there is substantial concern that without an elite point guard around him—like Kendall Marshall—he can't be the offensive threat many teams are looking for.
Here's a look at some of the teams that could use Barnes in this year's draft.
Cleveland Cavaliers
After the Cavs drew the fourth overall pick in this year's draft, it seemed as though Barnes—and not Bradley Beal or Drummond—would be the right fit here. The Cavs should aim to come out of this draft with either an elite point guard or an NBA-ready 3 who will allow Alonzo Gee to move back to a sixth-man role, and with Beal nearly assured of being off the board by the time Cleveland picks, Barnes is the right option.
By all indications, Barnes will offer the Cavs a consistent scoring touch who can put points on the board from anywhere on the court. He also plays great defense and is very coachable, and he's likely to improve all around once he adds some strength to his long frame. The Cavs just have to hope that he can still create offense for himself even without a star point guard.
Sacramento Kings
If the Cavs do opt for Drummond or Robinson, the Kings are very unlikely to pass on Barnes at No. 5—if they don't trade their pick. Ideally, they'd like to have Robinson, but given where they're picking in the order, he very well could be gone.
Barnes still gives Sacramento a smart player and a good enough athlete whose offensive output will be hard to ignore, and he gives the Kings a terrific prospect to fill a big hole at small forward. And according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, selecting Barnes makes even more sense if the team is looking to trade its current starter at the 3:
"The Kings ... have been linked to Barnes previously. Sacramento's draft day plan will likely depend on on the first four picks. Barnes' addition could add fuel to the fire that the team could be looking to trade Tyreke Evans.
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Toronto Raptors
Though it's very unlikely for Barnes to fall all the way to the Raptors at No. 8, they could use him and would be crazy not to select a player of his caliber so far down in the order.
The Raptors' primary need in this draft is getting someone to play opposite Demar DeRozan in the backcourt, but their options at this stage—most likely, Dion Waiters or Damian Lillard—are a bit risky for a top 10 pick. The biggest selling point on Barnes is that he can score from anywhere on the court, so Toronto fills that need with Barnes.
This is a point guard-weak draft, and with the No. 8 pick, the Raptors aren't going to get an elite player anyway, unless they trade up to get Bradley Beal. That's not going to happen, so they would be wise to draft based on pure talent, and in that case, their answer is Barnes.
