Overview:
When viewed in it’s entirety, the the second half of the Phoenix Suns’ season was decidedly disappointing, but it would be small minded to say nothing came out of it.
One of those positives was certainly Earl Barron’s presence on the roster.
Barron, who’s played for seven teams in his seven-year career epitomizes the NBA journeyman.
A great guy, team leader, and just enough ability to hang on.
He spent the first half of the season in Bakersfield and rarely played big minutes after getting the call-up, yet he had an undeniable impact nonetheless. Here’s a look at his time with the Suns in 2014-15.
Next: Weaknesses
Weaknesses:
For a seven-footer with a silky smooth shot, Barron has really struggled to hit shots for his career and this year was no exception. The career 37 percent shooter hit just 30 percent of his shots this year.
Barron has a pretty solid explanation for his poor shooting.
“A lot of times you get out there for two or three minutes and your three-point shot it just doesn’t feel well,” he said. “You go out and next time you come in two quarters later it’s just going to feel the same.”
The grading panel will take it into account, Earl.
It’s also worth noting that Barron failed to make up for his lack of shooting elsewhere on the court, failing to average “two” in any base statistic other than points, in addition to finishing with a horrendous Player Efficiency Rating of 5.0.
Next: Strengths
Strengths:
The greatest contributions from the “Barron of Buckets” came behind the scenes. He was consistently one of the hardest working guys on the team and provided veteran leadership on a team that desperately needed it.
Earl Barron said as the oldest player on the #Suns roster, he tried to be the guy who would come early and stay late to set an example
— Valley of the Suns (@ValleyoftheSuns) April 15, 2015
Barron, much like Steve Nash, is a big believer in the unity building power of the high five and made a concerted effort, both in Bakersfield and Phoenix, to mentor the plethora of 21-and-unders on the roster.
On the court Barron, shot a ridiculous 50 percent from beyond the arc (though it came on a total of four attempts). Barron wasn’t terrible rebounding the ball, averaging 7.8 rebounds per 40 minutes, but the mark was far off the 15 per 40 he averaged in 2012-13. Of course, it’s all about sample size and Barron was one big game away from that number being way higher.
Next: Lowlights
Lowlights:
The lowlight of Barron’s season was certainly when he was beat out by Shavlik Randolph for the team’s final roster spot. Barron averaged more points and rebounds in the preseason, including one 10-point, 13-rebound outburst, and was healthier than Randolph going into the year.
The deciding factors were likely that Randolph had a guaranteed contract, while Barron did not, and that Randolph already had a year with the franchise and was an established locker room presence.
On the court Barron didn’t exactly step up in garbage time in a 96-69 loss to the Hawks, shooting 0-for-5 from the field and finishing with as many turnovers as points.
Next: Highlights
Highlights:
Barron fully lived up to his nickname I made up two slides a go in his final game of the season. He ignited an admittedly emotionally desperate Suns crowd by hitting two threes in the team’s final game — not exactly a common occurrence for Barron.
Don't act like you've never seen Earl Barron make a 3-pointer. It was only 7 years ago (3/18/2008 for Miami). #SunsVsClippers
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) April 15, 2015
“I’ve always been able to shoot, it’s just a matter of getting out there, being relaxed, being comfortable and having fun,” Barron said.
Watching Barron make corner threes look like pop-a-shot in practice, I can confirm that he’s not lying.
Barron’s season proved that he’s in basketball purgatory: too good for the D-League and not quite cut out to be a consistent contributor on the NBA level.
The bright side of purgatory is that Barron had half a season of doing whatever he wanted against overmatched D-Leaguers.
He averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds per game on the Jam and had two absolutely ridiculous performances:
Watching those two videos it’s immensely obvious that D-Leaguers aren’t use to dealing with seven-footers that can shoot and move quite like Barron. At the 1:30 mark of the first video, Barron rips through a double-team and makes a fool out of the second help defender before finishing on the other side of the hoop. (Dirk Nowitzki voice) SHUT IT DOWN, LET’S GO HOME!
The Barron took no prisoners and may or may not have been the D-League Kevin Durant — and yes, that sentence constitutes a very meta season highlight.
Next: Final Grade
Grade C+
I’m awarding Barron the highest possible grade for a guy who played less than 150 minutes in a season. His name is literally two formal English titles combined, how cool is that?
Since I don’t have too much more on Barron’s game, I’ll relay why I’m such a fan of his.
Growing up as a New York Knicks fan, I learned to appreciate obscure role players inexplicably going off in meaningless April games and Barron is the guy I most associate with that hyper-specific nostalgia.
The first time I talked to Suns general manager Ryan McDonough, I off-handedly mentioned Barron’s weird outbursts and McDonough responded that it was part of the reason he signed him.
Who knew going off for 17 points and 18 rebounds in 2009 against the Celtics, would pay off in five years?
Barron wasn’t great on the court this year and had a disappointingly low rebounding rate, but he contributed in an infinitely more significant way than garbage time production. He set a daily example for a group of highly impressionable rookies and sophomores, when no one else on the team would.
In three years, when these guys are leading Phoenix on a deep postseason run (or at least a playoff birth), Barron’s contributions likely won’t be remembered, but he was undeniably part of the process.
More 2014-15 Phoenix Suns Player Grades:
Jerel McNeal
Danny Granger
Brandan Wright
Next: Phoenix Suns: 10 Takeaways From The 2014-15 Season (Part 2)