Olé, Barea! Olé!: Jose Juan Excels Against Lakers

Yes, Mavericks fans, the win streak has ended at five. Let's be real, we knew six was a stretch against Kobe and Co.

Let's focus on one of the positives from this game. Jose Juan Barea as a two-guard? That's right, if you watched last night's game, that's what you saw. Never in my wildest imagination would I have thought of that one. 

There was Barea with Jason Kidd at point, slicing and dicing through the Lakers' defense. He was carving up their paint like leftover turkey.

What Barea lacks in size he makes up for with heart. The 24-year-old is listed at 6'0" and 175 pounds.

The Mavericks signed Barea in the 2006-07 season as an undrafted point guard from Northeastern University. I was impressed with how this young Puerto Rican fought his way to earn the final spot on the roster.

That rookie season was nothing special. Minutes were few since he didn't make the rotation. By the grace of then-coach Avery Johnson, Barea was sent to the D-League. He played with the now-disbanned Fort Worth Flyers, and pretty well.

That summer, Barea went on to lead the Mavs' summer leaguers as starting point guard.  He was one of the few bright spots on that squad.

Now in his third season with the Mavericks, minutes are more regular as backup to Jason Kidd. It has been a real joy to me to watch him grow with the team.

This spunky little pest can wreak havoc on oversized, Lakers-like defenses. He has very quick speed and makes good dribble penetration. He also has good shooting range from almost any spot on the floor. 

Imagine yourself an up-and-coming point guard, and you're given the chance of a lifetime. To play with future Hall-of-Fame point guard Jason Kidd and learn from the master. This is no doubt the most important time in Barea's career.