Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Bub Carrington does not regard his newest accomplishment as a big deal. But the numbers reveal how rare his achievement is. On Thursday night, when his Washington Wizards host the Denver Nuggets, he will play in his 125th consecutive regular-season NBA game. Streaks like Carrington’s don’t happen often. He owns the NBA’s fourth-longest active consecutive games streak, trailing only the New York Knicks’ Mikal Bridges and the San Antonio Spurs’ Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie, according to Sportradar.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: You’ve been a staple of the Jordan Brand family for a long time. Looking back to your childhood, was there a specific pair of Air Jordans that was your “holy grail”—and did you ever actually get your hands on them? Harrison Barnes: That’s funny, man. I told MJ, man, when I committed to Carolina, the one pair of shoes that I wanted to wear were the 10’s. They used to have a picture when you used to walk in the facility, you used to see Raymond Felton wearing those. And I remember I wanted them and he was like, ‘Yeah, man, you gotta make a Final Four before you get ’em.’ Those were for sure my favorite Jordan’s to this day.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Last time we spoke, we discussed the “youth movement” in San Antonio. Now, as the veteran anchor for this group, you’re mentoring even more young talent like Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. How would you describe your process for leading this specific locker room and helping these guys find their footing in the league? Harrison Barnes: I think the biggest thing for us is just trying to cultivate a locker room where everyone has equity in what we’re doing. I think this season we’ve had so many different guys step up, allowing us to get wins. We talk about depth all the time. I think guys really being a part of that, really stepping up into different roles of the season. So I feel like everyone is engaged in what we’re doing. I think that’s the biggest thing.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: The Spurs seem to have a “green thumb” for cultivating elite young talent, from Wemby to now Dylan Harper. Given that Dylan is navigating the learning curve of an NBA point guard, what have you noticed about his poise and his ability to handle the responsibilities of that position so early in his career? Harrison Barnes: I think obviously just his poise when he’s out on the floor. I think the point guard position obviously is a deep position in this league and especially coming as young guys, a lot of different things you have to manage, but I think he’s been able to balance different usage, different coverages, different responsibilities on the court as the season’s gone on as a young player within, just twenty games. And obviously he was hurt during camp and hurt a little bit in the summer, so he hasn’t had the normal process that most people have had, but I think he’s been able to adjust on the fly and it’s been a great learning experience for him.
A 1997 study found it worked: Mental practice, when structured with vivid, multi-sensory cues, can be as effective as physical practice for improving free-throw shooting accuracy in trained players. Researchers like Wendy Suzuki at NYU have shown that mental imagery activates many of the same neural pathways as physical movement. Simply put, it’s reps for your nervous system. The examples of MJ and Kobe were helpful as a coach in establishing credibility with players in their 20s with different ranges of experience with mental skills. Harrison Barnes idolized both players growing up and bought in right away. “So how do we do it?” he asked. “Tomorrow at 4 p.m., when you get to the arena, go out onto the court,” I told him. “Into the crowd, even. Put in your headphones and listen to the MP3 I’m going to send you.” The audio file was five minutes and 40 seconds long and featured my voice guiding him through a visualization (or, better termed, imagery because we also wanted to incorporate taste, touch and smell).
Advertisement
Paul Garcia: In the win vs Toronto: Wemby 24 pts, 15 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk Castle 22 pts Barnes 18 pts, 5 ast Devin 15 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast Harper 11 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast Keldon 10 pts Champagnie 9 pts, 9 reb, 1 blk Spurs were a +13 from the FT line
“I’m not going to be perfect, but I just want to learn every day from the vets and the guys around me, like De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes. Even a guy like Wemby, Steph Castle. Just learn as much as I can from everyone. I’m new. I’m going to be that guy with full energy, running around the gym and just trying to understand the game better. And as I’m getting better every day, that would be a pretty successful rookie year. I want to just go out there and show I belong.”
Sources add that Phoenix is not enamored with the players San Antonio has made available in the teams' talks to date. It is obviously presumed that Kevin Durant would relish the opportunity to play alongside Victor Wembanyama, but it is also believed that the Spurs are only willing to discuss veterans such as Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes. The Spurs just managed to acquire De'Aaron Fox from Sacramento largely on their terms and the notion now of surrendering newly named Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle or the No. 2 selection in this month's draft is simply a non-starter.
John Gambadoro: The team that I heard last night in speaking to somebody pretty close to the situation with KD, is keep your eye on the Spurs. KD could have some interest in the Spurs, that may be a good landing spot for him with Fox and Wemby an up and coming team on the rise, that has a great defensive anchor on their team, and a terrific young player in Stephon Castle. (…) What could the Suns get? You might have to take Harrison Barnes back to make it work but you could get Devin Vassel, who is a very young player (…) I expect that a KD deal would happen right before the draft, because you want to include draft capital in the deal, so a KD trade would come up this month sometime before the draft, probably close to the draft if it’s gonna happen.
When it comes to this San Antonio Spurs offseason, Harrison Barnes has been here before. Kind of. Through 13 NBA seasons, he's won a championship with the Golden State Warriors in reaching the two NBA Finals and he helped the Sacramento Kings break a 16-year playoff drought. Though San Antonio hasn't yet enjoyed that level of success, the makings are there. “The biggest thing for a team that wants to make a jump is the commitment level.” “How much do guys want to be a part of what they're going to be watching here in these next couple of months,” Barnes continued, alluding to the playoffs.
Advertisement
The former North Carolina star joined the Spurs last summer. In playing all 82 games for a third straight season, Barnes supplied the professionalism and temperament that's defined his reputation. It's a mindset that continued right into the final day of the season when he associated his team with future playoff appearances. “What are you going to do in the off-season and your preparation to get that point, to put yourself in position to be at that point. A lot of people just assume that come October, ‘I'm going to be ready to go,' but this is where the growth happens. October is simply where it's acknowledged. For us, this summer is a big summer to just continue to get better on and off the court.”
However, two other places the Bucks could look for a partner are San Antonio and Toronto. No, Bucks fans, you’re not getting Victor Wembanyama for Giannis. But you might get Stephon Castle. The Spurs also have two 2025 lottery picks (their own and Atlanta’s), an unprotected 2027 pick from Atlanta and several swaps, plus they can deal their own picks in 2029 and 2031. Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes would be the salary ballast. If Antetokounmpo was OK going to any non-glamour market, this is probably the one where the allure is clear (Wemby-Giannis!) and the trade assets make sense.
