An unsurprising member of the All-Big Ten defensive team, Aaron Henry had an impressive 3 year collegiate career at Michigan State. As a junior, Henry averaged 15.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.3 BPG, and 2.9 TOPG on shooting splits of 45/30/76. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Aaron Henry
Height/Weight: 6’6 / 210
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’11/ 8’7 ½
Hand size: 9 ¼
Position: Wing
College: Michigan State
Tools: Defense, playmaking
Pros:
- Strong defender
- Playmaking upside
- Adequate athlete
- Good instincts on both ends
- Capable of running P&R
- Long arms and good frame
- Improved shooter off the dribble
- Competent passer against zone defense
- Flashes of athleticism in traffic
- Reliable floater
- Comfortable with both hands
Cons:
- Low release on jumper
- Lacks consistent explosion in one-on-one drives
- Mild finisher at the rim
- Must become more consistent finishing with his right hand
- Needs to improve ball security and cut turnovers in general
- Needs to continue getting more consistent as a shooter
Overall:
Aaron Henry is a defensive-minded wing with playmaking ability and a growing offensive game. As a defender, Henry’s long arms, natural instincts, quick feet, and strong upper body make him a day-one impact defender. Henry should be able to comfortably guard both wing positions, some point guards, and forwards in spurts.
Offensively, Henry is a mixed bag, with mostly positive projections. As a playmaker, Henry has good vision with a good degree of creativity for a wing. It’s not entirely commonplace to see a wing run pick & roll in college, but Henry showed consistency as a P&R passer at Michigan State. As a scorer, Henry needs to become more consistent as a shooter, as both a spot-up shooter and in general shooting over defenders. He already is a strong scorer off the dribble, particularly within the 3 point line, but spot up shooting is the bigger area for improvement, which is generally backwards for a wing. Jump shooting projects to be a swing-skill for Henry at the next level.
Henry also needs to play under more control as a finisher to improve consistency. While it is impressive how ambidextrous Henry is, he needs to get better execution at the rim to maximize his skill. The hope for Henry at the next level is that NBA spacing can open up opportunities for him to finish against less defenders at the rim. Look for Henry to be a second round play for a team seeking immediate help on the wings.
Similar to: Jarrett Culver, Caris LeVert, Gary Harris
Projected draft range: 2nd round
Games watched: Iowa 2/13, Minnesota
Best fits:
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Brooklyn Nets
- Sacramento Kings
Expected role: Backup wing with playmaking and some driving ability
Unplayable if: Lack of a consistent jumper and inconsistent finishing make his scoring limited.
Exceeds expectations if: Jump shooting arc continues to progress and finishing ability improves.
Shot chart:
