Harrison Barnes Joins Kings' History With Impressive Feat

The Sacramento Kings have had their ups and downs this season, but one thing has stayed consistent: Harrison Barnes in the starting lineup. While Barnes has had inconsistencies of his own this year, one of the best skills a player can have is availability.

Barnes, 31, has started and played in every game for Sacramento this season, reaching 200 consecutive starts after Monday's loss to the Chicago Bulls. Barnes is averaging 12.1 points per game, but with a lack of frontcourt depth, his availability for the Kings has been valuable in its own right. 

Per James Ham of The Kings Beat, Barnes has become the 7th player in Kings' history to appear in 200 consecutive games, joining Eddie Johnson, Buddy Hield, LaSalle Thompson, Otis Thorpe, Jason Thompson, and Ben McLemore.

Barnes was one of ten NBA players to play every game in the 2022-23 season and is on track to be one of the limited players to appear in every game this season, too.

While Barnes has not necessarily been a fan favorite in Sacramento this season, the veteran wing has not missed a game since December 2021. Many teams take health for granted, and Sacramento has had few injury issues since the start of their 2022-23 season. 

Sacramento's starting lineup of De'Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Keegan Murray, Barnes, and Domantas Sabonis has missed a combined 14 games this season after missing 21 last season. The health of a team's stars is vital to their success, as we saw last season with Sacramento, but health has not necessarily correlated with success as much this year.

Barnes' availability for Sacramento contributes to winning more than some fans realize, as a weak bench unit would be exposed if Barnes or Murray were to miss extended time.