Read the opposing arguments from Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer.
Xavier Henry, the freshman Kansas guard, is going to be an outstanding professional basketball player. I believe he’ll be the best shooting guard of all early entrants in the upcoming draft. First, some reasons why I did not choose Ohio State’s Evan Turner and Kentucky’s John Wall.
Evan Turner is a poor ball handler. He ran Ohio State’s offense because he was the best option, not because he is a future team leader. Turner is an ISO player with a slow release on his jump shot. Great college player, not convinced of his pro chops.
Same food, different plate for John Wall. Wall will not be the only fast point guard in the NBA. He’s not the only point guard capable of finishing around the basket. But, his mercenary approach and lackluster jump shot do not exactly get me excited if I am an NBA general manager. Great college player, not convinced of his pro chops.
When it comes to Xavier Henry, however, I am convinced of his pro chops. On an already great team he will be a solid role player, on a team with needs he will be a steady producer at both ends of the floor.
For the season he averaged 13.4 points per game, second on the team. His 79 percent free throw shooting and 42 percent three point shooting make him a solid offensive threat all over the court. Interestingly, he was also fourth on the team in rebounding from his guard position with 4.4 per game. He also managed 1.5 steals and .5 blocks per game. Henry not only has game, he has balance.
Xavier Henry will not fill a stat sheet like LeBron James, but he will fill an important role for a team. I think a good comparison for Henry is a player like Courtney Lee. When Lee was with Orlando he was poised to break out. He played good enough defense to start for the Eastern Conference champs, and shot 45 percent from three thanks to the presence of Dwight Howard in the middle. In his second full season in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets he is averaging 12.2 points per game, up from 8.4. Like Lee, Henry will benefit from court time. He has the raw talent and balance to enter the league a few steps ahead of Lee, though. What Lee is doing in his second season Henry will likely accomplish in his first.
What is important to remember is that a player like DaMarcus Cousins, for example, may have an immediate impact in the NBA, but his long term viability may be questionable given his attitude. Henry is a wise short- and long-term investment for a smart team. He is young, but hungry to learn with a good attitude. He will get better with time and experience… and still be a solid contribute right away – no matter who drafts him.
It is interesting to note that Henry specifically called out how his coaches prepared him for the NBA. While I completely realize the intent of this debate is convince you all that Henry will be the “best of the underclassman” future NBA players, it is worth noting that Bill Self and Kansas – like John Calipari and Kentucky – will routinely recruit very athletic and talented players that never win championships. Upon reflection, it seems that Kansas’ championship was more of an aberration, a win against a mid-major that has since forfeited its wins that season (there’s Calipari again). There is a reason a coach like Tom Izzo is in the Final Four ever other season. He coaches to championships, not to professional player development. To me, it is interesting to note that Self and Calipari are good for the NBA, but bad for sustained success in college basketball.
But, since this a future professional player prospect debate, back to Henry. In short, I think Henry is an immensely talented and balanced basketball player that will have a lot of success in the NBA because his coaches prepared him for it. He does not have a lot of experience as a winner yet, however. But, he will be solid in the NBA right away, and great in the long run. In fact, I think he could end up being the best player in this draft class – bar none.
