Andrew Harrison will be Elite

[supaSPED]

I don't think enough credit is being given to Andrew Harrison. Most mocks have him going mid to late lottery next year and have him playing second fiddle to Julius Randle in Kentucky.

For me, I agree that Randle is more talented than Harrison but I truly think that Kentucky's success hinges on Andrew Harrison. For me, he was the most elite pg in the 2013 class and significantly better than his twin brother Aaron. I get why people group them together but Andrew is on a whole other level. Aaron is a late lotto pick at best and Andrew should be picked from 3-5.

For those who don't know him, he is a big strong pg (6'5, 205 pounds) that doesn't only rely on physical tools. He has an absolutely sick, yet functional handle which allows him to get to any spot on the floor. His jumpshot is elite for a highschool pg (not as good as his brother Aaron's though). However, the biggest thing I think he has going for him is his elite feel of the game. He is a tremendous passer, but doesn't take crazy risks with the ball and is incredibly patient. HS point guards are not known for patience and playmaking, but Andrew is a fantastic floor general, great passer, very patient, and just as a bonus, can score better than 99% of the other pg's out there.

He reminds me of Deron WIlliams. Great scorer when needed with impressive skills finishing at the bucket as well as shooting from all areas. Very good passer as well. Big point guard, physically strong and fairly athletic.

I'm not going to post a youtube mixtape of him because I personally don't think that mixtapes do any HS players justice on their actual skillset. Here's a full game he played (he is the pg for the team in the white) and judge for yourself whether or not you think he deserves to be a top 5 pick in the draft which I strongly believe he should be. It's a full 40 minute game but its totally worth it. Great game, down to the wire, and you can tell Andrew is heads and shoulders above the competition even though its the first game back from injury.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwEAQfVT2ik[/youtube]

[brackdan70]

I watched the whole game

[supaSPED]

I watched the whole game

and?

[Cammo101]

I watched the whole game

and?

I think what he is getting at is that while yes, Harrison is a physical marvel who has all the tools to be a great point guard, he is not yet a great point guard. We are talking about a kid who averaged 11.5, 5.5, 5 over his high school career. Not exactly the dominate numbers you would expect to see from an elite level prospect.

He is much more prospect than player at this point, but he most certainly has the pieces to be great. If anyone can make him great, it is Coach K.

[Big_C_KU]

Has tremendous potential but I don't see him as having anything exceptional except tremendous height for a PG. I don't believe he has a scorers mentality or scoring ability like Rose or Westbrook nor is he a unbelievable assist man like Rondo or Paul. I think he'll be tremendous though as a freshman because he plays so much under control and I think behind the big 3 (Wiggins, Randle, Parker) he'll be the best freshman this coming season and play his way into the top 5 in the draft. I think who ever drafts him will get a great PG who will end up just outside elite status in the NBA. Has tremendous height though and he could end up on a team like Charlotte or Utah playing SG paired with a PG who's more of a scorer than an assist man creating a solid backcourt tandem

[ImHeisenberg]

Let's see what he can do in the SEC before we go anointing him some kind of future franchise player.

[LloydFree]

Has tremendous potential but I don't see him as having anything exceptional except tremendous height for a PG. I don't believe he has a scorers mentality or scoring ability like Rose or Westbrook nor is he a unbelievable assist man like Rondo or Paul. I think he'll be tremendous though as a freshman because he plays so much under control and I think behind the big 3 (Wiggins, Randle, Parker) he'll be the best freshman this coming season and play his way into the top 5 in the draft. I think who ever drafts him will get a great PG who will end up just outside elite status in the NBA. Has tremendous height though and he could end up on a team like Charlotte or Utah playing SG paired with a PG who's more of a scorer than an assist man creating a solid backcourt tandem

Embiid will jump Harrison and Parker by the end of the year.

[No-Man]

His body language is atracious, he has Stephon Marbury writen all over him.

[brackdan70]

I watched the whole game

and?

sorry...sarcasm. they need a shot clock in HS.

see how he does in college.

I am guessing 10th pick. he is not as good as Smart or even Spencer Dinwiddie at this point...but if he makes some strides next season he will be a top 10 pick.

[LloydFree]

I'm torn on Harrison. I like his size, his handle and court vision, but he doesn't seem elite athletically. Most of the best PGs have blazing speed in HS. Harrison doesn't look fast. He reminds me a little of OJ Mayo in HS, which isn't bad or a put down, but not a franchise changer.

[Upperclass]

Neither him, nor his brother are elite athletically.. But it seems tough to stay in front of them nonetheless. I think he will be a pretty good NBAer as well. At first blush.. on the negative side.. he kinda reeks of Reece Gaines, but there's something about the way the dude plays and handles.. it will work out for him imo. Kinda looks like a slower Drose.

And compared to Marcus Smart.. I like Harrisons game better. but Smart just seems more impact.. especially defensively

[ManualRam]

His body language is atracious, he has Stephon Marbury writen all over him.

his and his brother's body language is terrible. it's like they think they're so damn cool. they look very arrogant and whiny.

i still think he has tremendous potential because he does have that terrific size, strength, handle and change of speed/direction. he has the potential to be a physically dominant point. one thing that is a must for him is to be separated from his brother. i think he picked up a lot of bad habits by playing with him. he and his brother tend to take turns, only pass to each other and just watch the other brother try to go 1 on 5. even though he's the point, andrew needs to learn to not be so ball dominant. that not every time he touches the ball is an opportunity to iso and that he doesn't always have to be the one who makes the pass that generates the assist. basically, he needs to learn how to make the simple play and make plays within the flow of the offense as opposed to strictly off of breaking down his man.

he's a natural playmaker, he sees the angles so i think he'll be pass first but he needs a lot of work on the finer points of the pg position, which i don't think he'll learn at kentucky since cal does a terrible job of preparing pgs for the next level.

and op, no he is not an "elite" shooter at the hs level. he needs a lot of work on his jumper, especially from the arc. i think he shot something like 27% from 3 on the season.

[Big_C_KU]

His body language is atracious, he has Stephon Marbury writen all over him.

his and his brother's body language is terrible. it's like they think they're so damn cool. they look very arrogant and whiny.

i still think he has tremendous potential because he does have that terrific size, strength, handle and change of speed/direction. he has the potential to be a physically dominant point. one thing that is a must for him is to be separated from his brother. i think he picked up a lot of bad habits by playing with him. he and his brother tend to take turns, only pass to each other and just watch the other brother try to go 1 on 5. even though he's the point, andrew needs to learn to not be so ball dominant. that not every time he touches the ball is an opportunity to iso and that he doesn't always have to be the one who makes the pass that generates the assist. basically, he needs to learn how to make the simple play and make plays within the flow of the offense as opposed to strictly off of breaking down his man.

he's a natural playmaker, he sees the angles so i think he'll be pass first but he needs a lot of work on the finer points of the pg position, which i don't think he'll learn at kentucky since cal does a terrible job of preparing pgs for the next level.

and op, no he is not an "elite" shooter at the hs level. he needs a lot of work on his jumper, especially from the arc. i think he shot something like 27% from 3 on the season.

One thing about Harrison that has scouts worried is he's not very good in pick situations or at making entry passes. Like you said he can make the fancy pass but he struggles some with the simple entry pass or pick-n-roll/pop pass. He probably hasn't played with a great big too often though so hopefully he'll improve on those aspects playing alongside Randle, Cauley-Stein, and Dakari Johnson.

[tranjSAIC]

he kinda reeks of Reece Gaines

Don't bring up that name Reece Gaines!!! I can't believe the Magic drafted him when there were a ton of better players available. Stripping a guy one on one is pretty tough thing to do in the NBA, but the one thing I remember about Gaines was this one game, someone ripped him TWO times in a row with no one around him. That NEVER happens to an NBA player.

[fredericklove]

Very high on him in the draft, his crafty scoring and all around game can make him impact the game better than alot of guards do. His body language sure presents an issue but I think Calipari system can correct that habit because he's about to get some hard nose coaching from day 1. You play without intensity, doesn't follow the game plan, screws up a play or doesn't get back on defense, you're hitting the bench.

Sent from my Nexus S using RealGM Forums mobile app

[Brauer]

I agree with the OP, think he is better than Jarbari. Reminds me of Deron Williams too.

[Apollo64]

He didn't look that good to me in the Nike Hoops Summit game, then again he had to deal with Schroeder who is two years older.

[crgreen]

I don't think enough credit is being given to Andrew Harrison. Most mocks have him going mid to late lottery next year and have him playing second fiddle to Julius Randle in Kentucky.

For me, I agree that Randle is more talented than Harrison but I truly think that Kentucky's success hinges on Andrew Harrison. For me, he was the most elite pg in the 2013 class and significantly better than his twin brother Aaron. I get why people group them together but Andrew is on a whole other level. Aaron is a late lotto pick at best and Andrew should be picked from 3-5.

For those who don't know him, he is a big strong pg (6'5, 205 pounds) that doesn't only rely on physical tools. He has an absolutely sick, yet functional handle which allows him to get to any spot on the floor. His jumpshot is elite for a highschool pg (not as good as his brother Aaron's though). However, the biggest thing I think he has going for him is his elite feel of the game. He is a tremendous passer, but doesn't take crazy risks with the ball and is incredibly patient. HS point guards are not known for patience and playmaking, but Andrew is a fantastic floor general, great passer, very patient, and just as a bonus, can score better than 99% of the other pg's out there.

He reminds me of Deron WIlliams. Great scorer when needed with impressive skills finishing at the bucket as well as shooting from all areas. Very good passer as well. Big point guard, physically strong and fairly athletic.

I'm not going to post a youtube mixtape of him because I personally don't think that mixtapes do any HS players justice on their actual skillset. Here's a full game he played (he is the pg for the team in the white) and judge for yourself whether or not you think he deserves to be a top 5 pick in the draft which I strongly believe he should be. It's a full 40 minute game but its totally worth it. Great game, down to the wire, and you can tell Andrew is heads and shoulders above the competition even though its the first game back from injury.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwEAQfVT2ik[/youtube]

So why is he a 12 pt, 5 assist, 5 rebound high schooler? Only 5 assists a game, playing with an elite wing to feed (Aaron)? At what point does he have to PRODUCE something on the court?.

[ManualRam]

hs stats dont mean jack. projecting nba prospects is more so based on skills, tools and intangibles.
most hs games end up in the 50s. its a shorter game, the overwhelming majority of states, texas included, dont play with shot clocks and they don't play with NBA's generous scorekeepers for recording asts.
that 12/5/5 line is average over his soph to senior yrs. andrew's line his senior yr was closer to 14/6/5 and he missed a good chunk of the season due to injury.
for reference, 2nd ranked pg in his class: kasey hill his senior yr 13/5.5
the most important stat is that his team finished their season as the #1 ranked team in texas. state champs at the highest division. he was the mvp in the championship game. this after a herculean effort in their regionals (which was probably a greater challenge than state) to even get a chance to compete at state. his team took on the same team in the regional finals that beat them above in the video, with andrew dropping 17 pts in the 4th and 32pts overall to pull out a victory.

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

hs stats dont mean jack. projecting nba prospects is more so based on skills, tools and intangibles.
most hs games end up in the 50s. its a shorter game, the overwhelming majority of states, texas included, dont play with shot clocks and they don't play with NBA's generous scorekeepers for recording asts.
that 12/5/5 line is average over his soph to senior yrs. andrew's line his senior yr was closer to 14/6/5 and he missed a good chunk of the season due to injury.
for reference, 2nd ranked pg in his class: kasey hill his senior yr 13/5.5
the most important stat is that his team finished their season as the #1 ranked team in texas. state champs at the highest division. he was the mvp in the championship game. this after a herculean effort in their regionals (which was probably a greater challenge than state) to even get a chance to compete at state. his team took on the same team in the regional finals that beat them above in the video, with andrew dropping 17 pts in the 4th and 32pts overall to pull out a victory.

What kind of PG is he? Is he a true point, like Deron Williams, or is he a scoring PG in the Westbrook mold?