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Age: 24

Per-Game Stats: 19.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks

Advanced Metrics: 16.3 PER, minus-0.27 RPM, minus-102.3 TPA

Rank in Top 100 Article: No. 100

Harrison Barnes is not the savior of the Dallas Mavericks. He shouldn't be considered the central building block of the post-Dirk Nowitzki era. Even after remembering his torrid start to the 2016-17 campaign—his first in a featured role and not serving as a quaternary option for the Golden State Warriors—he should be considered a supplementary piece best suited for a lengthy career as a No. 2 scorer.

But that wasn't the popular take early. Not when he started off his Dallas career on fire, averaging 22.9 points during his first 10 appearances in a new uniform.

Even then, his points were fool's gold.

Not only did the scoring outbursts come while the Mavericks accumulated a 2-8 record, but they were earned while he shot 49.2 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from downtown and 88.6 percent from the stripe—good for a 56.6 true shooting percentage that only beat the league average (55.2) by a meager amount. Throw in his limited contributions elsewhere, his inability to record more assists than turnovers and his defensive porosity, and you had a one-dimensional player thriving because a limited roster had handed him a wealth of opportunities.

It takes legitimate talent to average over 19 points in the NBA. Serving as a volume scorer isn't easy, particularly when faced with an overabundance of defensive attention. But there's still a reason Barnes finished with a below-average score in a number of catch-all metrics, and it's the same explanation for his inability to produce a positive net rating while on the floor.

Barnes was a strong volume scorer. It's just that especially during this age of analytics, it's more clear than ever points alone don't guarantee top-tier value.