Michigan State Basketball: Evaluating NBA potential for Spartan prospects

Aaron Henry’s decision to enter his name in the 2020 NBA Draft was a surprising one, but not confusing by any means. Going through the draft process and getting feedback from agents is incredibly valuable for someone in Henry’s position. It’s expected that he will take his name out and return to school, but let’s look at how Henry would perform at the professional level.

Henry has exceptional size for an NBA shooting guard at 6-6, 210 pounds. He has played mostly small forward at Michigan State, but he should make a seamless transition to the two-spot once he’s in the NBA. Henry’s athleticism is incredibly enticing to NBA scouts and coaches. His ability to defend multiple positions should allow him to excel.

In his freshman season, Henry took on more playing time as the season progressed. Once the tournament arrived, Henry burst onto the scene against LSU, scoring 20 points, grabbing eight rebounds (five of them on the offensive end) and handing out six assists. While only quietly, this began Henry’s NBA buzz.

Henry lacked consistency in his sophomore season as well as confidence. He struggled to capitalize on his blazing conclusion to his freshman season, never being a consistent contributor, but still showing those flashes of potential. He often passed up open threes to take a mid-range shot and often didn’t capitalize on his athletic ability by driving to the basket and finishing or drawing a foul.

Returning to school for his junior season and being a feature player should allow Henry to showcase what he’s really made of. He is a good finisher and has a deeper offensive game than what shows up on tape. He is an NBA player, just not yet.