Harrison Barnes is never one to say much, but he let his performance Wednesday night serve as the perfect clapback in the Kings' season-opening win over the Utah Jazz.
The last time the veteran forward stepped foot on an NBA court was in Game 7 of Sacramento's exhilarating first-round playoff meeting with the Golden State Warriors. In that do-or-die game, Barnes had just four points in 13 minutes on 1-of-4 shooting from the field and missed both of his 3-point attempts. He was a minus-20 in plus/minus rating.
In the best-of-seven series, the Kings shocked the NBA world and took an early 2-0 series lead over the then-defending NBA champs. But things quickly changed when the series moved to San Francisco, as the Warriors won three straight games to take a 3-2 lead. Sacramento fought back in Game 6 to tie the series and force a Game 7, but Steph Curry's masterclass took the Warriors across the finish line and sent the playoff rookie Kings home for good.
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The end of the series was rough for Barnes, who unforgettably missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer of Game 4 and scored a combined 32 points -- nine in Game 4, 13 in Game 5, six in Game 6 and four in Game 7 -- across the final four games while shooting 24 percent from 3-point range in the entire series.
And the showing certainly didn't leave the best taste in Kings fans' mouths as Barnes entered free agency shortly after for the first time since 2016. He was one of six Kings players to hit the open market this summer, leaving an important decision on the table for the Kings.
Do the Kings bring back someone who played every game of the 2022-23 season, who is well respected, a champion and a leader in the locker room? Or, do they look elsewhere and make a big offseason splash to acquire a big-name star?
It didn't take long for Kings general manager Monte McNair and Co. to make the decision. Barnes was locked in on a three-year contract worth $54 million to remain in Sacramento.
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Kings fans -- and fans around the league -- were quick to judge and critique Sacramento's decision, stating it was an overpay for a 31-year-old Barnes. But when other free-agent contracts began to shape out, Barnes' deal all of a sudden didn't seem so lucrative.
But words still were shared about Barnes' game and the skepticism surrounding the impact he could make at this point of his career. And he handled it the way he handles all aspects of his life. With class. Nothing less, nothing more.
Nearly six months after that frustrating playoff showing against the Warriors, Barnes, without saying a word, showed exactly why he deserved to be back on the court with the Kings and the contract he earned.
Barnes erupted in the first half of Wednesday's game, dropping 27 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field and 5 of 5 from deep -- the most points he's ever scored in a half.
He finished the game with 33 points and, even more, the last laugh.
"He's done things like that for us before," Kings star point guard De'Aaron Fox said postgame (h/t ABC10's Matt George). "We've seen multiple times where he's had 30 on like less than 15 shots. So those are things that he's capable of. Obviously, you don't expect anyone to be that efficient all the time but when he has big games for us like that, it's definitely hard to beat us."
Barnes is known for his poised, even-keeled nature. Where even on a night when he can't seem to miss a shot, he still has the same composed demeanor as he did in that gut-wrenching Game 7 loss.
It's just who he is. And regardless of what he does on the hardwood, that's something that fans can never take away from his character.