To help readers get to know top NBA draft prospects, Insider offers a 360-degree look at many of them in a concise and thorough scouting report featuring three expert perspectives: Kevin Pelton (analytics), Fran Fraschilla (scouting) and Chad Ford (NBA front offices). Here's a look at Andrew Harrison.
WARP Projection: -0.6 (85th among players in top 100)
Comparables: Ramon Sessions (93.5), Marcus Williams (89.5), Vander Blue (89.0), Deron Williams (88.6)
Strengths: FTA%
Weaknesses: Usage, 2P%, Rebound%, Steal%, PF%
The analytics perspective
Ranked 5th in the ESPN 100 entering Kentucky, Harrison never produced at that level during his two college seasons, and the 'Cats offense often seemed more efficient with backup Tyler Ulis at the controls last season. While he cut down his turnovers last season, posting an assist-to-turnover ratio of better than 2-to-1, Harrison is never going to be a natural playmaker. That makes it imperative that he excel as a scorer, and that simply wasn't the case.
Harrison got to the basket at a decent rate but struggled to finish there, leading to 37.4 percent career 2-point shooting in his college career. The only player in my college database with a worse projected 2-point percentage in the NBA than Harrison was Pepperdine's Mychel Thompson, who played only briefly in the league after going undrafted. The point guards who have succeeded with slightly better 2-point percentages have generally been pass-first types like T.J. Ford and Phil Pressey who also pressure the basketball, something Harrison doesn't do. That makes it hard to see a role for him in the NBA.
-- Kevin Pelton
The scouting perspective
It's hard to imagine that a Kentucky Wildcat can be "under the radar" but that's where Andrew Harrison finds himself in this NBA Draft. As a point guard he is currently in the draft's deepest position. One that starts with Emmanuel Mudiay and D'Angelo Russell and goes from there.
Harrison has excellent positional size at 6-foot-6 and, while he is certainly not a speed burner, is not afraid to use his size and strength to bully his way to the basket. He attempted 159 free throws this past season, making them at a 79 percent rate.
Unfortunately for Harrison, he has not yet developed a mid-range pull-up game. Often, he drives to the hoop with more intent to get fouled then to make shots. He made only 50 percent of his at-the-rim attempts and 26 percent of his two-point field goal attempts, according to hoop-math.com.
Harrison did make 38 percent of his three point shots, and his free throw shooting is an indication that he can become a player who can make standstill three-pointers in the NBA.
I also like Harrison's willingness to pass the ball, his size, and his good passing vision. He was involved in screen-and-rolls on 25 percent of offensive possessions. Good, not great, success.
Harrison's average speed and quickness will be problematic in the NBA at the league's most dynamic athletic position. And while the Wildcats played outstanding team defense, the multitude of switching situations on the perimeter often lulls a player into defending with less intensity. That was the case with Harrison.
Where Harrison gets drafted is still a mystery, but I am higher on him than I thought I would be after studying him on tape. I would be surprised if he is not on an NBA roster next fall.
-- Fran Fraschilla
The front-office perspective
Harrison began his career at Kentucky with massive expectations. Prior to the Nike Hoop Summit in April of 2013, Harrison was widely regarded as a top 5 pick in the NBA Draft. But the Hoop Summit would be the start of a long, devastating decline in his draft stock. Harrison's poor body language, selfishness and so-so play at the Hoop Summit rubbed Team USA officials and the plethora of NBA scouts and GMs who attended the wrong way. They worried about his ability to get past people, to see the floor well enough and unselfish enough to function as a lead guard. His jump shot was erratic on top of it.
A so-so freshman season torpedoed his stock until he came on strong in the NCAA tournament and led Kentucky all the way to the championship game. If Harrison had declared last year, he was still in that first-round bubble range and likely would've snuck into the late first round. Instead, he and his brother Aaron decided to return, hoping another year at Kentucky would vaunt them both back into the lottery.
It didn't happen. Harrison was often outplayed by 5-foot-9 freshman Tyler Ulis early in the season, and any scouts left on the bandwagon began fleeing. Much like last season, Harrison got hot again toward the end of the year and was excellent for Kentucky down the stretch. He would keep the Wildcats in a game during the first half, only to fall apart in the second. His strong play toward the end of the season did get some scouts to give him a second look, but is it enough?
"I don't know what to say that hasn't been said," one GM told ESPN.com "He's big. I like his size. I like his ability to get to the free throw line. And I've seen him be an effective defender. I just don't know what he does well besides being big. He doesn't have the speed to blow by guys. He's a streaky shooter. I don't see a lot of floor leadership from him. The body language stuff is still an issue. Do you take a shot at him at some point in the second round? Maybe. But here's the deal. He thinks he's better than he is. That's a problem. In the second round, the guys that succeed typically are humble, are willing to play a role and do whatever it takes to fit into a team. For two years I felt like we watched Andrew and Aaron try to do it their way."
Look for Harrison to go in the No. 35 to No. 55 range in the 2015 NBA Draft.
-- Chad Ford