Looks like Aaron is heading towards the realms of the undrafted. I always thought he would need one more year than his brother to grow into himself and used the example of the Hayes brothers at UGA for reference. Jarvis Hayes' twin brother Jonas graduated from UGA after Jarvis left his sophomore year, not sure he had any pro potential to speak of though. Either way it seems like the twins we going to make the same decision regadless. Does anybody think Aaron would have benefitted from an extra year in college?
Did Aaaron Harrison make a mistake by declaring?
- Thread starter coolcat9lives
- Start date
No mistake, he is what he is..........a shooter who must hit a bigger %.
More time at UK only helps UK, not Aaron.
Needs to live in the gym, not a classroom for another 9 mos.
More time at UK only helps UK, not Aaron.
Needs to live in the gym, not a classroom for another 9 mos.
better development at the next level and you get paid. right choice by both.
He may possibly go undrafted, but that's fine. Plenty of players go undrafted and end up having an outstanding career in the NBA.
One example is my player on NBA 2k15
One example is my player on NBA 2k15
I generally agree, but not with Aaron. He definitely made a mistake. His stock was low. He may not even get drafted. You can't be a shooting guard who can't shoot consistently in the pros. He should've come back, worked on his shot and become an elite perimeter defender (a la Keith Bogans).
No, it could be argued that the mistake was coming back after his freshman year.
I don't believe in the argument of "should have stayed" or "should have left." Basketball careers are unpredictable. You can argue the benefits of staying vs. the benefits of leaving. At the end of the day he could have come back to UK and any number of terrible things could have happened to derail his career further. Or, he could have come back and turned into a lottery pick. Nobody has a crystal ball on these kids' career.
why he can't do this at the next level? who is to say that if he stays and works on his shot...it actually gets better.
No, not really. He is a shooting guard who hasn't shown that he can shoot very well on a consistent basis. That likely wouldn't have changed.
If his degree was important, as a player who will not likely find a place in the league, then maybe he should've come back.
But if he sees an ability to make $$$ playing ball overseas then his decision was fine.
If his degree was important, as a player who will not likely find a place in the league, then maybe he should've come back.
But if he sees an ability to make $$$ playing ball overseas then his decision was fine.
He made a mistake by coming back last year, if it's all about draft status. After all the big game winning shots he hit in the 2014 Tourney, he probably would have gone in the First Round.
Are you better off as an undrafted player with a degree ori without?...that is the question..it didn't hurt Keith Bogans any...too much stigma attached to this staying or leaving early...
I'm not a psychologist and don't pretend to know anything about the bond of twins. But the mistake the Harrisons made, if there was one, was in treating the decision making process as one whole rather than two individuals.
Maybe it's as simple as they just wanted to play one more year together, and if so, that's great. But one could easily argue that Aaron should have left after their freshman season and Andrew should have stayed. Now, it appears the situation has flipped. It's easy to see how Andrew could have left after this season and Aaron could have stayed.
Maybe it's as simple as they just wanted to play one more year together, and if so, that's great. But one could easily argue that Aaron should have left after their freshman season and Andrew should have stayed. Now, it appears the situation has flipped. It's easy to see how Andrew could have left after this season and Aaron could have stayed.
He wasn't projected to go in the 1st round After last year either. Don't let those clutch shots fool you his numbers were still bad for a shooting guard. Only way he would have had a shot at the first round is if they let you go from high school straight to the league.
I tend to agree with the folks that say he should have left last year, as far as draft stock goes. I'm glad he came back because we needed him to supply another dagger against Notre Dame. I know the NBA can develop you to a certain extent but I really think Aaron could have benefitted from playing a full year without his brother. Not just playing on a different team like they will do in the NBA but actual meaningful minutes without Andrew around. I think you could see his comfort level drop considerably when Andrew wasn't on the floor and it effective his consistency, which is currently the biggest knock on him.
Staying or going? Some posters act as if an extra year of COLLEGE is akin to purgatory. College life is great...and there is tons of time to be in the gym.
Even if your carry 15 hrs, that is only about 3-4hrs a day of classes. Leaving 4 hrs of gym rat time, and 2-3 hours of "studying".
Even if your carry 15 hrs, that is only about 3-4hrs a day of classes. Leaving 4 hrs of gym rat time, and 2-3 hours of "studying".
Aaron made a comment early in the season about needing to put in extra work in the gym, when his shot wasn't falling. He came out the next game, played well and shot the ball better. To me that's a red flag.
If Aaron made a mistake it was crapping the bed at the combine. It doesn't matter whether he declared after his freshman year or stayed until he was a senior, if he can't figure out the correlation between putting in the work and success, he'll never make it in the league.
If Aaron made a mistake it was crapping the bed at the combine. It doesn't matter whether he declared after his freshman year or stayed until he was a senior, if he can't figure out the correlation between putting in the work and success, he'll never make it in the league.
It all depends. Can Aaron get his degree using UK's online program? Absolutely. I did that at my university while working full time. I took the option to get paid while getting my degree. Aaron now has unlimited access to the gym, trainers, ect... Without the hassle of having to keep grades up to be eligible to play for the team. He can choose how many credits and classes he wants to take or drop or not sign up for. Compare this at UK where he would have to take a minimum of 12 credit hours.
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Spot on Blueaz, A degree fron Kentucky never hurt anyone, fact is very few ever live that dream and the ones that do, only do so for a limited time. You are only young once, most of those past greats now say they wished they had stayed longer, living in the gym may or may not get the desired results, it's the defense at the next level that will dictate whether you will shoot well or not.Playing pro basketball isn't the only way to make a good living.
His 3 point shooting regressed from his freshman to soph year. Everyone was expecting him to make the leap into elite shooter which was a huge negative for the team when it didn't happen. I think he would have helped himself by staying and I don't think he could have damaged himself anymore than he already is.
I hate to be harsh but I hope Aaron continues working towards his degree. Unfortunately I just don't see a long-term career for him in the league. Whoever decided at a young age to make Andrew the PG and Aaron the SG did Andrew a huge favor solely based on size. His size is a commodity in terms of NBA PG's. However, a 6'5" SG with an average shooting percentage and moderate athleticism (moderate in terms of NBA athleticism) don't typically see extended success in the NBA.
I don't think it really mattered when he went. I think both of the twins were over rated coming out of high school. They just do not have the potential for improvement that the league is looking for when it drafts young players. They are both big but are lacking in athleticism. I stated several times while they were at UK that both would have been better served if they had played at the SF position instead of at Guard. Their lack of quickness really hurt them at guard and neither really had good hops. If I was a NBA GM I would pass on them. If I was going to draft them I sure wouldn't want both of them. I thought that they played too much for each other and not enough for the team as a whole.
Well, I think UK is a better place to do that than on some D-League team. I think another season could do him well regarding his shot and D.
Like I said, I generally agree with you, but there are guys who improve their NBA prospects and help themselves long term all the time by staying in college.
Aaron absolutely made a mistake in my opinion, but not my decision to make. He had an opportunity to play with another point guard regularly apart from his brother. Would have given him an opportunity to develop without being grouped in with Andrew. The joint decisions on everything seemed silly to me! He will probably make some money in playing overseas.
Biggest mistake by far was actually going to college. He was a projected lottery pick before stepping on campus.
No, he wasn't. Andrew was but Aaron was not. He was always considered a lesser NBA prospect than Andrew, the PG.
All you bottomline guys crack me. You really don't think Aaron benefited/enjoyed his ridiculous NCAA Tourney run last year and then 38-1 this season? I know the NBA is the dream, but dude had a pretty awesome two years at UK.
That's a hollow argument. You can always come back for a degree (or work on it while you're playing as several of our guys are). The time-frame to play pro ball is much shorter.
I really wish people on here would realize that simply coming back and improving a skill DOES NOT mean you go higher in the draft. Age is a huge factor in the draft anymore (right or wrong), and the older a player gets the less desirable they are. Not saying you can't improve by coming back, but a junior Aaron Harrison's skill-set will be evaluated against a younger player's skill-set after a year or two of working with NBA teams. The sooner some of you realize this the easier it is to understand why some of these guys declare.
Yeah, but the kid has a great chance to NOT BE DRAFTED at all. His stock can't get much worse. He's a SG who shoots 30% from three. It's not like we're debating Andrew here who is right on the cusp on the 1st round. More mocks have Aaron undrafted than drafted at this point.
Did he make a mistake? Guess it depends on what his expectations are. Clearly nobody told him he was a 1st round pick and maybe even a 2nd round pick. Maybe he was ok with going the undrafted, D-league route and maybe it was made clear to him that he wasn't going to improve his draft stock by returning to UK.
Will always be forever grateful for the journey that Aaron and the boys took us on in 2013-2014. Really, that Final Four and runner-up season came out of NOWHERE. Aaron was clutch, game in and game out. Easily my favorite team of all-time, being an eight seed and feeling like we had no business being in the Final Four looking solely at how the regular season played out.
I wish Aaron and his brother, absolutely nothing, but the best. They've earned their decision whether Aaron is drafted or not despite parts of their game that they need to improve!
I wish Aaron and his brother, absolutely nothing, but the best. They've earned their decision whether Aaron is drafted or not despite parts of their game that they need to improve!
I disagree, shooting can be developed, he has a good shot, just needed to work on consistency.
He could have came back...probably costs UK Murray, and maybe Mulder. I'd rather have Murray and Mulder than just Aaron Harrison. Give me two good shooters (supposedly) for one that was very streaky at best his 2nd season at UK. I am a big Harrison fan, he helped us get to Two Final Fours...enjoyed watching him play, but time to move on. Plus, his stock does not improve any if he comes back unless he randomly shot like 45--50% from three like Lamb, and even Lamb was a 2nd rounder.
The "he is what is he" statement is a joke. The reason Aaron Harrison isn't on draft boards is the inconsistency in his jumpshot. If he stayed another year or two and put in the work there is no reason to think he couldn't become a more consistent shooter. In the NBA a guaranteed contract is gold. It takes most players, even lottery picks, a few years to get accustomed to the NBA game. If you are an undrafted free agent or a second rounder, teams have little incentive to keep you around unless you absolutely tear it up from day one. That's not likely to happen with Aaron. Based off his play in the combine, If he doesn't get picked in the second round I doubt he will ever make an NBA roster.
Cal's best three teams here have had a key contributor that came back for another year despite being projected as a mid-first rounder. WCS, PP, and TJ have all stated they are glad they did and how much they grew up and got better. Interesting that some people here think they made poor decisions...guess the 2012 championship is hollow to them.
His jumper can get better whether he's at UK or not.
Aaron Harrison is not going to slip through the cracks. He has the support network to get the most out of his abilities. He isn't going to be bagging groceries next summer if he doesn't make the league. It is what it is...
![[winking]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/classic/wink.r191677.gif "Winking [winking]")
They did what they wanted and I'm happy for them. I would have been just as happy for them if they had left earlier. What's so hard about that?
