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Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif
Arrived last summer in San Antonio, Harrison Barnes brought his valuable experience to a very young roster. He recently shared some insightful advice aimed at Victor Wembanyama and his teammates.
When Wembanyama announced his goal of making the playoffs as early as the 2024-25 season, many observers raised eyebrows. After all, it seemed highly unlikely that Gregg Popovich’s squad could seriously contend for a Top 8 spot in the Western Conference just one year into the Frenchman’s NBA career, especially given the ever-increasing level of competition.
And yet, the Texans performed relatively well during the first weeks of the season, even as Popovich stepped away early due to health issues. Led by a red-hot Wembanyama, they managed to stay around the .500 mark until late December. It wasn’t until the new calendar year that things began to unravel.
Playoffs 2024-25 as a source of motivation for the Spurs
Following a tough losing streak and season-ending injuries to both the Alien and De’Aaron Fox, San Antonio ultimately fell short of the playoffs. However, that might not be such a bad thing according to Harrison Barnes, as he explained in a recent interview:
“I hope it pisses them off. I hope some of them need to be dragged in front of the TV to watch because they’re so upset they don’t even want to see postseason basketball. That’s the kind of fire you want these guys to feel — watching it and thinking: ‘I want to be a part of that in the future.'”
An NBA champion with the Warriors, the veteran forward has played in many playoff campaigns and knows that failure can be a powerful motivator. He’s determined to help the Spurs grow, having played all 82 regular season games — something he takes great pride in:
“It’s one of the things I’m most proud of, honestly, because I’ve always taken pride in being available for my teammates. I always say that win or lose, I want to be there for my guys, my coaches, and try to give my best.”
The Spurs missed the playoffs, but it may just be a temporary setback. The roster has shown clear improvement this season, and Harrison Barnes is hopeful the younger players will use this disappointment to come back stronger next year.
