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Dallas Mavericks: Harrison Barnes injury comes at a bad time

By Michael Saenz

DALLAS, TX - NOVEMBER 17: Harrison Barnes #40 of the Dallas Mavericks and Jamal Crawford #11 of the Minnesota Timberwolves at American Airlines Center on November 17, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - NOVEMBER 17: Harrison Barnes #40 of the Dallas Mavericks and Jamal Crawford #11 of the Minnesota Timberwolves at American Airlines Center on November 17, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The injury to Harrison Barnes couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes is expected to be out for a while after sustaining a hamstring injury during a training camp practice. While pre-season beginning in the next few days, that’s not a good sign.

What makes matters worse is the fact that he could miss the entire month of the exhibition season. Right now, according to Tim Cato of The Athletic, there is no estimated timetable for his return to the floor.

That’s the last thing you want to hear if you’re the Mavs.

One of the last things you want as a team is injuries to start the season. You want it even less if you have a young team on your hands, which Rick Carlisle has. Two big components of this season will lie in the hands of second-year guard Dennis Smith Jr. and rookie Luka Doncic.

The other player that this season largely depends on is Harrison Barnes, who will be missing to start the pre-season and possibly to start the regular season. The point of training camp is to begin to mesh. It’s where you find out who you are as a team. Without Barnes, the Mavericks are going to have to do it on the fly once the season starts – or when Barnes returns, whichever happens first. Not ideal.

Even though Barnes has been criticized since signing with Dallas two years ago, he’s been extremely productive for the Mavs during his first two seasons with the club. He’s consistently averaged 19 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range. He’s also coming off a season in which he averaged a career high six assists per game.

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Barnes is going to be a key cog and somewhat a pillar for the Dallas Mavericks this season, so him not being healthy as camp and pre-season roll along certainly isn’t great. The hope is that he’ll be back for the start of the season, but there’s no guarantees when it comes to hamstring injuries, which often vary from player to player.

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