Mitch Johnson must axe this player from Spurs' rotation to have any shot against OKC

The Oklahoma City Thunder await the winners of the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves series and are, no doubt, the team to beat in the NBA Playoffs. If the Spurs were to make it to the Western Conference Finals, they would have no margin for error.

Therefore, they can only play their best players big minutes if they hope to knock off the defending champions. As a result, Coach Mitch Johnson should look to sit veteran Harrison Barnes in a potential series against the Thunder.

Barnes has already seen his minutes decrease post-All-Star break, culminating in him averaging only 8.8 minutes per game against the Timberwolves. He hasn't played poorly, but the Spurs have better options against a better team in OKC.

The Spurs can't afford to play Harrison Barnes against the Thunder

As good as the Timberwolves are, the Thunder are far better. Even if Barnes is only playing 10 minutes per game, the Spurs can't risk not putting their best foot forward.

Therefore, a potential series against OKC shouldn't feature Barnes. Instead, Johnson must continue to lean on Carter Bryant and Julian Champagnie.

Champagnie is a terrific shooter, good rebounder, and solid defender. Meanwhile, Bryant is a capable shooter and already an above-average defender despite being a rookie.

Having no weak links defensively is a huge deal for San Antonio, and if star Victor Wembanyama can play 36 minutes per game against the Thunder, the Spurs have a strong chance to knock off the Thunder. Barnes, unfortunately, shouldn't figure into that equation.

The Spurs have little margin for error vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder

For all the talk about the Spurs lacking experience in the playoffs, they'd been relying on young players to help carry them. Relying on a rookie over a 14-year veteran is unexpected.

Nevertheless, Bryant has been so good defensively he warrants completely removing Barnes from the rotation. In fact, he may even spend time guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, which is something that Barnes certainly couldn't do.

Meanwhile, Champagnie's volatility as a 3-point shooter could help swing a series against the Thunder. He may not be as accurate as Barnes is as a shooter, but he's shown that his shooting can swing games.

Hopefully he can help carry them through in at least a couple of games in a possible series against the Thunder. San Antonio will need every little edge they can get against OKC and must consider not playing Barnes to give them the best possible chance.

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