Spurs’ Harrison Barnes named Western Conference Player of the Week

Harrison Barnes has been named the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Week, the league announced. Giannis Antetokounmpo received the honor in the East.

Barnes got the nod after averaging 22.3 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting over 60 percent from the field in the Spurs’ three wins this past week. The veteran logged a double-double during that span and committed no turnovers.

Barnes, now in his 13th season as a pro, has set an NBA record for the most recent career Player of the Week award by a player and is the first Spur to receive the award since DeMar DeRozan in 2020, according to the team’s press release.

It’s safe to say that no one expected Barnes to perform at this level in San Antonio. The former lottery pick had a down year in Sacramento in 2023, prompting the Kings to attach an unprotected pick in 2031 to entice the Spurs to absorb his contract this past offseason. Barnes didn’t post flashy numbers earlier in the season, but brought shooting and veteran leadership to a young team before having a stellar week that helped the Silver and Black win three straight games.

The 32-year-old forward has won a championship and an Olympic gold medal, so that distinction pales in comparison, but it’s a well-deserved honor for a consummate professional who waived his trade kicker to allow the Spurs to keep Julian Champagnie on the roster and rose to the challenge of helping a team that did not enter the season with high expectations due to youth and inexperience. He accepted his role and has been rewarded for it with team success and now individual accolades.

Barnes is averaging 11.5 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 43.9 percent from beyond the arc this season and has started every game. He is under contract for one more year with Spurs.