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Kentucky freshman Aaron Harrison admitted Monday it was not easy knowing NBA scouts are monitoring every game to evaluate players while also trying to make sure players keep a team-first attitude.
“I think that’s the biggest question for all of us. We all, all of our lives, have just been worrying about ourselves. When you put that group of people all together, it’s really hard,” said Harrison. “Coach (John Calipari) said it’s impossible, really. So, I mean, we’re just trying to do the impossible and see where it goes. We’re really getting better at it.”
Ed Isaacson (@nbadraftblog on Twitter) evaluates players nationally for NBADraftBlog.com. He predicted early this season that UK’s highly-touted freshmen might struggle more than some projected and wasn’t as high on Kentucky having as many 2014 NBA draft first-round picks as many anticipated.
With the start of NCAA Tournament play only four weeks away, Isaacson offered these insights on the Wildcats from a NBA analyst’s perspective.
Question: Since you noted two months ago that UK's freshmen lacked many fundamental basketball skills, are you surprised at all that UK has not developed into a dominant team?
Isaacson: “Not surprised at all. It's a process that takes time and there's a lot of catching up to do. When you add to it that the sophomores, Willie Cauley-Stein and Alex Poythress, are also still working on developing the fundamentals, it was bound to be a longer growing process than many would have hoped.”
Question: Even though many still project Willie Cauley-Stein as a possible lottery pick, has his recent demise made that possible? What must he do to put himself back in the lottery, or maybe the first round?
Isaacson: “Cauley-Stein's play certainly wasn't great recently, but any team that was possibly picking him this year certainly wasn't doing it with the idea of playing him a lot quickly. What appeals to NBA teams is his length, ability to block shots, and run the floor. Many teams will take a player with that base and hope to work on the other parts of the game over the first two years. If he was to come out, I still wouldn't be wholly surprised if he was taken near the end of the lottery, and almost certainly think he is in the first round. Though, for the rest of this season, and if he does declare, through pre-draft workouts, teams want to see the effort. No one expects him to be polished, but they want to see him out there working hard.”
Question: What do you think of the recent speculation that the Harrison twins, Andrew and Aaron, will be back at UK for another season?
Isaacson: “I'm not really surprised because this kind of speculation by the media is what gets page views. Obviously not a scientific stat, but it really seems that three out of every four college basketball stories this year has to do with freshmen. It starts with all the stories hyping them, then come the stories that they aren't playing well. Now the next hope will be that they will play well again so those writing the stories can put new stories up saying that they may just be first round picks again. There's a reason that you give freshmen a whole year before you really evaluate them. Things change quickly, especially once February and March come around. So don't read too much into any speculation.”
Question: In spite of the criticism the Harrison twins have received, are they still legitimate future first-round picks and solid NBA players?
Isaacson: “In terms of talent, both twins can certainly be future first round picks, even though both showed fundamental flaws in their games so far this season. Andrew really hasn't shown that he can be a high-level point guard and Aaron hasn't been a consistent enough shooter for a high-level shooting guard. Those two things are critical for them in terms of their pro futures. The attitude issue is another thin entirely and that is what ends up being what NBA teams see when they watch them play this year. They don't seem like bad kids at all, but sometimes when you get called for a foul or make a bad play, you just put it aside and keep playing. No need for the ‘shocked’ looks and complaining to the refs and coach Calipari, even if they are right.”
Question: What do you think of James Young's play and has he helped his NBA stock?
Isaacson: “There's no denying Young's athleticism, and he's a good shooter when makes sure to get set, but I don't think as highly of him as many do. It's nothing against Young, but the reality is there are plenty of James Young-type players on NBA benches and the D-League is full of them, so I wouldn't see a real need to take him too high. I do think Young has impressed teams with his ability to defend well when he tries to and along with Randle, Young's effort seems to be the most consistent of the Kentucky rotation. Young's biggest problem is he spends too much time trying to be a player he's not, or at least not yet. Focus on being the consistent shooter the team needs and don't worry about creating scoring opportunities that just aren't there.”
Question: Have teams found weaknesses in Julius Randle's play and could he still be a top five pick? Where do you see him needing the most work to be ready for the NBA?
Isaacson: “I think I addressed early in the season that teams were going to figure out Randle's go-to moves and his weak right hand, and teams also saw the same thing. Now some teams just don't have the strength to stop Randle, even knowing what he is going to do, but even so, I have seen Randle try to do different things, like going to his right and looking for teammates off the dribble. He's still not very good at it, but you really shouldn't expect him to be. The fact that he is not shying away from working on his expanding his game is a very good thing. I see no reason why Randle couldn't be a Top 5 pick, and if he wasn't, it's likely because a team had a different kind of player in mind and not a knock on Randle's game. The biggest areas he still needs to work on, along with what I mentioned already, are his defense and being able to knock down mid-range jumpers. Randle has the raw tools to be a good defender, he's just not very good at it yet and it's really about getting him to focus on the basics of playing defense. The shooting will be vital down the road as he's going to be up against many more players who are as strong as him and he needs to add the versatility to his game.”
Question: What are your thoughts on Alex Poythress? Has his improved play shown you he is NBA ready yet or not?
Isaacson: “I like that Poythress has finally seemed to embrace his role on this team, and being the guy who crashes the boards and runs the floor suits his strengths perfectly. He's certainly not NBA-ready, and it's tough to find any college player with such a narrow role who is. As many have said all along, the raw tools are there for Poythress to be a complete player, though not what was envisioned of him two years ago.”
Question: What potential do you see in Dakari Johnson and Marcus Lee?
Isaacson: “I've said it before, but how Dakari Johnson was ever considered a five-star prospect is beyond me. It's great that he seems to be hustling more than many when he's out there and he has good size, but he is just very awkward on both ends of the floor. Still, with his size and the fact that he seems to want to work to improve, he may turn out to be a serviceable post player next year. But he is in the group with the Harrisons in that he just needs to stop with the whining every time he commits a foul or makes a mistake.
“Lee seems to me like he could be an interesting player, but he's in a tough situation where he just isn't getting enough court time to really improve. That really puts it on him to do double the work during the off-season to put him in position to compete with the new players next year. But long and athletic players are always valuable, and if coached correctly, he can be turned into a player.”
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