Harrison Barnes officially deserves an apology from Spurs fans

Much was made about the San Antonio Spurs' decision not to make a big trade at the deadline, but it's becoming increasingly clear that they didn't need one.

The perceived need to make a trade was the declining play of Harrison Barnes and Jeremy Sochan falling out of the rotation. That resulted in a big question mark at power forward.

Quietly, however, Barnes is beginning to right the ship. In his last 10 games, he's drilled 43.2% of his 4.4 3-point attempts per game. He isn't back to his "Mr. 100%" level, but it's an encouraging sign that he might still have some gas left in the tank.

So what's changed? Well, Barnes' minutes have steadily decreased, going from playing over 30 minutes per game to averaging 25.7 over his last 10 games.

In fact, in their most recent game against the Dallas Mavericks, he played just 22 minutes. Coming off the bench has likely helped since it caps his minutes, limiting the wear and tear on his body.

Better still, San Antonio will soon have eight days off thanks to the All-Star break, giving Barnes a chance to rest. Hopefully, post-All-Star break, he will continue his recent play and get back to the player that San Antonio desperately needs him to be.

Harrison Barnes is quietly returning to form for the Spurs

After failing to make a trade at the NBA trade deadline, there were concerns about whether the Spurs had enough at power forward. Having Julian Champagnie now start has been the right move, considering he has been better than Barnes on both ends of the floor this season.

Still, San Antonio needs Barnes, even in a reduced role. Since his initial benching, he has responded, shooting 51.9% from three in his last five games on 5.1 3-point attempts per game. Even so, he now has some competition for minutes.

Carter Bryant has had a couple of strong games recently, which gives coach Mitch Johnson options. He can also fall back on Luke Kornet and the French Vanilla pairing with Victor Wembanyama.

Harrison Barnes can help the Spurs solve a big flaw

All of a sudden, San Antonio looks a lot more competent at power forward. In fact, they should have no problem cobbling together 48 minutes of solid play at that position.

Sure, it's no point guard for the Spurs, who have three dynamic playmakers, but it's not a disaster either. Especially if Barnes is back to at least being a reliable 3-point threat who can occasionally put the ball on the floor and attack closeouts.

Relying on him less is a good thing since at 34 he may not have it every single game. However, he may find more consistency playing in the second unit against opposing benches and playing around 20 minutes a game.

It's not exactly how many fans envisioned his role entering this season. But, to his credit, after an ugly two months for Barnes, he is beginning to bounce back in a big way.