Cat Barber was named the NBA G League Player of the Week this week after having a strong three-game series for the College Park Skyhawks, the G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks. Barber has been playing for the Skyhawks franchise for the 2019-20 season, after being traded from the Greensboro Swarm to the team, then called the Erie Bayhawks, a name that is being used for the New Orleans Pelicans affiliate team now.
The 6-foot-1 point guard from NC State is the first player in Skyhawks franchise history to have earned the G League Player of the Week Award and is in prime position to continue his hot streak.
Barber and the Skyhawks went 2-1 in the week of Jan. 27- Feb. 2, beating the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the affiliate of the Houston Rockets, and the Wisconsin Herd, the affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, who lead the Eastern Conference and the league in win percentage. Barber averaged 26 points, 5.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals in the three games played.
Barber also shot 51% from the floor, along with 38% from 3-point range and 85% on free throws, nearly a 50/40/90 line, which is wildly impressive. However, this is in stark contrast to his standard splits, where he shoots 48% from the floor, 28% from 3-point range and 70% on free throws in the regular season.
In regular season play this year for the Skyhawks, Barber is averaging 16.9 points, 6.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game in 28 games played for the Skyhawks, with 10 starts under his belt. The 25-year-old guard is looking to continue his recent level of play as the NBA heads closer to the NBA trade deadline, where teams may be opening up roster spaces and looking to fill them with young talent from the G League.
The Skyhawks are sitting at 17-15, only two games behind the Lakeland Magic, the affiliate of the Orlando Magic, for control of the Southeast Division, which would put the Skyhawks in the playoff picture.
Joining Barber on the Skyhawks are two-way contract players Charles Brown Jr. and Brandon Goodwin, who both average over 16 points per game, and Armoni Brooks, who has begun to play well for the club. Marcus Derrickson, a former member of the Golden State Warriors, also plays for the team.
Barber joins guard C.J. Williams and forwards Trevor Lacey and Caleb Martin as the other former NC State players playing in the G League this season. Williams plays for the Long Island Nets, the affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, Lacey plays for the Herd and Martin is on assignment from the Charlotte Hornets to the Greensboro Swarm.
For NC State fans who wish to watch Barber in action in the G League, the next streamable game is Sunday, Feb. 9, when the Skyhawks take on the Magic. The game tips off at 3 p.m. and can be streamed on gleague.nba.com.
