After two consecutive shortened offseasons due to the NBA shuffling its schedule after shutting down at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the league finally got back on a regular schedule this summer, allowing for players and team personnel to take real vacations again (which is why trade rumors have come to a complete halt the last couple weeks) as well as the return of star-studded pickup runs and pro-am appearances.
The Drew League, Seattle Pro-Am, and more have seen the likes of LeBron James, DeMar DeRozan, Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Paolo Banchero, and more step onto the court in front of fans, but even more big names have gotten together in pickup runs to stay sharp in the dog days of the offseason. The biggest pickup run in the NBA these days is Rico Hines’ L.A. game, where the now-Raptors assistant hosts many of the world’s best players to get work in and earn some game-speed reps in the offseason.
Over the weekend, a clip of Scottie Barnes and James Harden went viral on social media, as the reigning Rookie of the Year put the clamps on the Sixers All-Star full-court, showing off his incredible defensive abilities against one of the best 1-on-1 players in the league.
That sequence earned Barnes plenty of buzz on social media, but it also got him some praise from Harden himself, who made sure to bring everyone together at the end of the run and talk glowingly about the competitive spirit of the run (which he missed after two summers off) and highlighting Barnes’ defense in particular, saying the young star is “a dog.”
“I like the competitive spirit that’s going on in here,” Harden said. “Like, Scottie picked me up full court. It’s pickup. First week of August. He don’t give a f*ck. He got that mindset. He a dog. Everybody should have that mindset, especially if you want to get paid, take care of your family. I love the work, man. We ain’t had a pickup in a couple of years, so this sh*t feel good to get back in the gym and competing for real.”
It’s a fairly stark difference from the beef brewing between Dejounte Murray and Paolo Banchero up in Seattle, where the two young stars went at it in Isaiah Thomas’ tournament and continued that on social media. Harden appreciates the young fella taking it to him because that’s what he needs to try and get in game shape and find that level he needs to get back to an All-Star level next season in Philly. For Barnes, he continues to earn his reputation of being one of the league’s best wing defenders already, with the most important recognition of those abilities coming from his peers.
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