Well, that game [didn't go as we hoped](https://airalamo.com/most-dangerous-spurs-trap-game-of-the-season-is-against-a-sleeping-giant), but there are positives to take from it, and the first major one is San Antonio's decision to bring Harrison Barnes off the bench for the first time in a Spurs uniform and the first time in his career since January 2016.
HB had started in 979 out of 1040 games before Mitch Johnson [placed him with the second unit today](https://airalamo.com/spurs-must-follow-klay-thompson-blueprint-to-solve-growing-harrison-barnes-problem). That takes guts and maturity, and the team handled it very well, despite coming up short in Charlotte. But I don't completely put that on them. At the last minute, the game was moved from 2:00 pm to 11:00 am due to inclement weather.
Making sure people can get to and from the game safely is always the priority, so it was the right thing for the league to do. But that still put the Silver and Black behind the 8-ball. But neither that nor the change in his role stopped Barnes from playing his game. The Spurs continued to fight like they always do, and he fought right along with them to the very end. That's very encouraging.
Barnes' professionalism should be commended
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I don't know if taking him out of the starting lineup lit a fire under the former Sacramento King forward, but he had one of his best games of the month today. Regardless of that, I still wouldn't put him back in the starting lineup. I like having a veteran like Barnes next to Dylan Harper, and if he's going to start knocking his threes down again, it only makes things even better for the rook.
No matter what, I don't expect Harrison to complain. That hasn't been his m.o. throughout his career. He's always been the professional who would do what his team asks of him. It just so happened that he has always been good and versatile enough to command that starter spot. That's not the case anymore as a 33-year-old stretch four.
His percentages and points are down for the first time since his early years in the NBA. It's the perfect time to make the move, considering he may not even be on the roster next season. I believe Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell will be. Their confidence needs to be at a high when this team heads into the playoffs, because I'm not sure which Barnes we're going to get when that happens.
He has a reputation for underperforming in the postseason, so if the others are already acclimated to playing big-time minutes, reducing his workload won't be an issue. Everything we've seen from this team when adversity strikes reinforces why they've been so successful this season.
Kudos to Mitch Johnson for having the stomach to make this move. It's not a small one, and it shows the maturity of the coach in the same way it does the players who have to handle it. He's not playing favorites or overly worried about egos. He wants to do what's best for the team. Period. Players respect that, and so do the fans. I know I do.