Harrison Barnes vs. Justin Jackson

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/MavsHighlights/statu...2326481920

Watching Justin Jackson last night got me thinking.

I have felt from the moment it was announced that the Mavs won the trade with SAC, not just because of clearing the Barnes salary (and taking on a rookie contract), but also because of Justin's youth and untapped potential (whereas Barnes is a fully known, ceiling-ed-out commodity). So my question isn't about the Mavs winning the trade, I think that is a foregone and clear "YES."

My question is this: Is Justin Jackson (as a 24 year old entering his third year) actually a BETTER player than Harrison Barnes (a 27 year old entering his eighth year) right now? If you are a Finals contender trying to win THIS SEASON ONLY, do you take Barnes or Jackson on your team?

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Follow up question:

Do you think Justin Jackson could grow into the third best player on a championship team?

[Mavsfan12]

I believe that HB is still a better player - at this point.  He was a 40% 3pt shooter last year and I think is still viewed as a stronger defender.  However, I think it is a no-brainer that JJack provides a better VALUE for the Mavs due to his lower salary.  For HB's cash, the Mavs have fit in JJack/Curry/DWright.  That is an upgrade to the roster.  

Things I like about having JJack vs Barnes are that he is a role player and the offense is allowed to find him, rather than the Mavs forcing HB to be a creator - which is not his strength.  While I think this COULD have been accomplished with HB, (and to an extent IS happening with him in SAC), I think he is overpaid in that role.  For 25M, you need your player to be able to have a dominant skillset.  He is a well rounded role player - not a star. JJack can fill that role and still allow the Mavs to fill out the roster.

All that said, JJack is certainly an ascending player.  While most role players get exposed with more playing time, he gets more time and thrives and has a track record of that fact coming from SAC.  When he plays a lot, he gets MORE efficient and productive.  That is just not the case with many players.  So, I look forward to seeing this season play out and what he can grow into.  I think if he starts, he will certainly be looked to as the third option, albeit an opportunistic one (spot up 3's and slashing to the basket).  I don't see them running plays for him.

[Reunion Mav Old]

Though I know many were down on Harrison Barnes, I still like almost everything about the pride of Ames, Iowa. He is a high quality player and an even better person and gave us everything he had. 

I was ok with the trade because of the salary dump and Justin Jackson. Failing to get our clear #3 in his place was a downer but I am still in favor of the trade.

I do have high hopes for Justin Jackson and will be very interested to watch him. I certainly won't rule out him becoming our #3 guy but there are other candidates on this team to be that guy. He has more ability to create his own shot at least from his favorite spots on the floor. He has great size and athleticism and seems to be another really good guy. I truly hope he plays well but we will just have to see. 

PS. I do plan to be patient because what he and others are trying to rise to may just happen but it will not happen without some truly down times. Just remember Steve Nash.

[bin610]

I think Jackson will quickly become the better player but Harrison is still better for now. However, Jackson is a much better fit with the current mavs team.

[embellisher]

Barnes is better. For now, anyway. Love the upside on Jackson.

[Luka_Magic]

I agree with bin610 that Jackson is a better fit for the current Mavs team. In his time here Barnes was too often either a ball stopper or someone we'd kick it to at the end of a broken play or bad possession for an iso-score. He was decent at the PnR but anytime the Mavs would run more of a motion offense I think his limitations as a player became a little more apparent. It was unfortunate how the trade came through in the middle of a game but I think it's a no brainer that you make that move both to get off the salary and to bring in a guy with potentially higher upside in Jackson. The kid is lined up to have a great year. Wouldn't be surprised to see him score more over the course of this season than Barnes I definitely think he'll surpass him in the number of threes he'll knock down (which is clearly a priority of Rick's based on last nights game against the Thunder). He's attempted to bulk up a bit this offseason, and while he's going to struggle at times defensively his length should enable him to pry the ball away here and there and get out into transition. He mentioned in a recent interview how the coaching staff is trying to get him to be more aggressive so hopefully that bears out. Ultimately I'd say Jackson's skill-set is most certainly what you are looking for in a player in today's NBA.

[ballsrchr]

While it was hard to say Justin Jackson is the better player right now...I did anyway.  Justin fits the Mavs much better...and still has some potential to unlock.  I'm glad we have Justin.

[michaeltex]

I agree with bin610 that Jackson is a better fit for the current Mavs team. In his time here Barnes was too often either a ball stopper or someone we'd kick it to at the end of a broken play or bad possession for an iso-score. He was decent at the PnR but anytime the Mavs would run more of a motion offense I think his limitations as a player became a little more apparent. It was unfortunate how the trade came through in the middle of a game but I think it's a no brainer that you make that move both to get off the salary and to bring in a guy with potentially higher upside in Jackson. The kid is lined up to have a great year. Wouldn't be surprised to see him score more over the course of this season than Barnes I definitely think he'll surpass him in the number of threes he'll knock down (which is clearly a priority of Rick's based on last nights game against the Thunder). He's attempted to bulk up a bit this offseason, and while he's going to struggle at times defensively his length should enable him to pry the ball away here and there and get out into transition. He mentioned in a recent interview how the coaching staff is trying to get him to be more aggressive so hopefully that bears out. Ultimately I'd say Jackson's skill-set is most certainly what you are looking for in a player in today's NBA.

I agree with the ball stopper comment. HB and Wes were double black holes once they got the ball on offense. You could almost see Luka deflate once either of them put it on the floor. If JJ continues to shoot decently and grows into a decent defender, then the HB trade will turn out to be significantly more important than originally thought.

[Jym]

Barnes is better but I'd much rather have Jackson with his current contract and upside. 
We made the right choice

And I missed that follow up question. I think he has the most potential on the roster to become the 3rd option we'd need to be truly competitive. Wright is sneaky old so you'd have to wonder how much he'll improve. 
But for now I  just want to the 2 of them to become competent starters and then work on bringing in a better 3rd option through trade

[ItsGoTime]

Barnes is a LOT better, just not in our system or with our current group. The trade was still a loss cause we should have gotten Giles too. I like what I see from JJ, but he has a ways to go before he is as good as HB.

[Hypermav]

Jackson contract and ability to play with Luka makes him better for the Mavs.

[robillionaire]

He'll need to produce more than he did tonight for sure. But I do like his potential

[Fuerza1]

Unless Barnes morphs into an all-star or elite 3/D player, making a comparison with him vs anyone else on this team is rather fruitless. He's dead to me; wonderful guy off the court but J.A.G on the court. Deuces. 


As for Jackson becoming the third best player on a championship team? Little to no chance in hell.