Inside The Spurs

Spurs Veteran Harrison Barnes Named Western Conference Player of the Week

The San Antonio Spurs are currently riding a three-game win streak thanks, in part, to stellar play from veteran forward Harrison Barnes, who earned the first Player of the Week award of his career Monday afternoon.

Matt Guzman

Nov 23, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) celebrates in the second half against the Golden State Warriors at Frost Bank Center.
Nov 23, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) celebrates in the second half against the Golden State Warriors at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
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SAN ANTONIO — As the saying goes, there's a first time for everything.

In his 13th season, and first with the San Antonio Spurs, veteran forward Harrison Barnes is the Western Conference Player of the Week for Week 5 of the 2024-25 NBA season.

The honor — also the first of his career — comes after Barnes finished three straight games with 20 or more points. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors, the veteran averaged 22.3 points and 8.7 rebounds on 60 percent shooting from the 3-point line.

Barnes played a large role in the latter game, especially, when the Spurs notched their third straight win to breach .500 for the first time this season, though he isn't one to take much credit.

READ MORE: 3 Takeaways from Spurs’ Comeback Win Over Warriors

"I don't really have too many expectations coming into games offensively," he said. "It's mostly just reading and reacting off others. Sometimes you get more shots than others. The biggest thing is being active ... and taking the shots as they come."

Now 17 games into the season, the Spurs are continuing to show improvement from last season despite missing key pieces. Adding Barnes and Chris Paul has certainly helped that effort, though it seems that the younger players aren't the only ones benefitting from their presence.

Is that surprising? To Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson, not really.

"He's been extremely efficient," the coach explained. "He's been able to do that over (the course) of his career. Expectations (for him), I'm not sure, but I wouldn't say we're surprised."

To Barnes' teammates? Even less so.

"He's kind of a silent killer," Tre Jones said at shootaround Monday morning. "He does a little bit of everything. He doesn't want the attention, but he's going to hit big shots ... it's always big time for us."

READ MORE: Barnes Helps Lead Spurs In Victory Over Warriors

As the Spurs continue to navigate life without Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell, Barnes will likely prove to be as big a catalyst for their success as San Antonio's younger stars.

But experience goes both ways, and one thing is clear: Barnes, like Paul, is "hooping."

"It's been lively," the veteran said before the season. "Camaraderie off the court feeds into how we play on the court ... that's going to bode well for us down the line."

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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