Warriors coach Mark Jackson was floored. Out of nowhere last week, rookie forward Harrison Barnes expressed appreciation for the confidence Jackson has shown in him.

“He thanked me for running plays for him,” Jackson said. “But he gets it. He appreciates it because he earned it. He doesn’t take it for granted.”

Barnes seems to have developed a comfort level on the court. No longer the hesitant rookie, he is attacking with confidence and producing numbers that figure to put him in the Rookie of the Year conversation.

Barnes newfound effectiveness is the payoff of his budding relationship with Jackson, who has been grooming the former North Carolina star since the Warriors drafted him No. 7 overall.

via Marcus Thompson II of the San Jose Mercury News