Kentucky Basketball: Why Aaron Harrison Is Wildcats' Most Indispensable Player

Kentucky basketball is the deepest team in the country this season, but even the Wildcats can’t lose stars with impunity. Of all the big names on the Big Blue roster, postseason hero Aaron Harrison is the one who must stay healthy to keep the 'Cats on track for a national title.

That’s not, of course, the same thing as being the team’s best player. The latter honor will likely go to freshman Trey Lyles, but if anything happens to Lyles, Marcus Lee will be right there to pick up the slack. After all, Lee excelled in a similar emergency role when Willie Cauley-Stein went down in the NCAA tournament last March.

By the same token, an injury to any of John Calipari’s trio of 7’0” centers could be weathered with relative ease. Dakari Johnson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Cauley-Stein all bring different skill sets to the table, but any one of them would be starting on most other teams in the Top 25, let alone the country. Even if projected starter Johnson misses a few games, Kentucky won't exactly be on upset alert.

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At point guard, too, Aaron’s brother Andrew Harrison now has a promising backup of his own in Tyler Ulis. The 5’9” freshman naturally plays a very different game from the 6’6” sophomore, but as he showed during the Wildcats’ exhibition games in the Bahamas, Ulis is entirely capable of keeping the offense clicking.

On the wings, though, Kentucky’s situation isn’t quite as comfortable. The likeliest scenario would have starters Aaron Harrison and Devin Booker (yet another freshman) backed up by Dominique Hawkins and Alex Poythress, respectively. Although all four players have their virtues, only the first two are reliable three-point shooting options.

That’s a concern, given how happy opponents were to pack the paint against UK’s size last season. This year’s even bigger 'Cats will be similarly invited to launch treys early and often, and there are really only two players on whom Coach Cal can rely to get the job done.

Andrew Harrison is, in fact, a decent shooter when he gets a look (.351 last year), but he’s been so much more effective as a penetrator that Kentucky can ill afford for him to start standing on the perimeter. That leaves a crucial aspect of the offense in the hands of Booker and Aaron Harrison, with neither of their backups looking like good options to step in.

Hawkins (Harrison’s de facto backup) is also the weakest overall player in the projected 10-deep rotation. He’s undersized for a 2-guard and has yet to prove that he can create shots. He’s still a valuable defender and ball-handler, and his long-range touch is promising, but he’s a huge downgrade from Harrison.

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In fact, it’s likely that an injury to either Booker or Aaron Harrison would leave the healthy one starting at 2-guard alongside Poythress. In that context, the veteran is clearly the one Big Blue would miss more. Not only does Harrison have Final Four experience and an unbeatable rapport with the starting point guard, but he’s the best perimeter defender on the roster.

Naturally, the Wildcats would prefer not to endure any of the late-season injuries that have plagued them in the last couple of years. If they do see anyone go down, though, an Aaron Harrison injury would cost them the most on both ends of the floor.