Josh Harrellson Poised To Be Unsung Hero For Kentucky Wildcats

In less than one year, John Calipari has completely altered the Kentucky Basketball landscape, reeling in 5-star recruits as if he were filling out the McDonald's All-American roster.  Yet, the starters cannot play all 40 minutes by themselves.  Nor will the superstars be patient enough to wait around for four years before cashing in their tickets to the NBA Draft.  

This is why it is so vital to have guys who are willing and able to come in make a contribution off the bench.  These are your team-first guys, your glue guys, the guys who aren't as much concerned with their role on the team as they are helping their team notch marks in the win column.  Last year, we saw it from guys like Ramon Harris and Perry Stevenson.  In the past we've seen it from guys like Ravi Moss and Josh Carrier.

This year, expect to see more of the same from an unlikely source: Josh Harrellson.

Harrellson first came to Kentucky in 2008, rated as a 3-star prospect, and having spent one season at Southwestern Illinois Junior College.  While he had a decent start to his career at Kentucky, playing almost 10 minutes per game in his first season, he was largely lost in the shuffle this past year due to the sudden influx of talent brought in as a result of John Calipari being named head coach.

With the arrival of another number #1 recruiting class in Lexington this upcoming season, you may be wondering why things would be any different for Harrellson this time around.  The answer is: opportunity.

Opportunity is the result of Kentucky losing 4 front court players from last season's roster, including Patrick Patterson, DeMarcus Cousins, and Daniel Orton to the NBA Draft and Perry Stevenson to graduation.  Kentucky will reload by adding three front court players this season, but with Enes Kanter and Terrence Jones likely slated as starters, that leaves Elroy Vargas as the only true post player on the bench.  That is, besides Harrellson.

Expect to see Harrellson getting somewhere between the amount of minutes that Daniel Orton and Perry Stevenson got on average last season, 13.2 and 7.6 respectively.  That comes out to somewhere around 10 minutes.  For those doing the math at home, that is 1/4 of the game.  A pretty substantial role for a player who is best-known for sporting his jean shorts around UK's campus.

So what leads me to believe that Josh will actually perform when on the court and not just take up space?  Well, first and foremost: his coach.  According to the Advocate Messenger's Larry Vaught, John Calipari was quoted as saying, "(Josh) went to China and people were stunned at how good he is.  The weight and strength coaches say he is on a mission."  Calipari believes that Harrellson is capable of being a surprise this season and filling the void left by last season's departures.

As if that weren't reason enough to believe in Josh Harrellson, the guy also has a pretty decent skill set.  Listed at 6'10, 265 pounds, he possesses great size and while he is not a great post player, he has a good jump shot and is a reliable rebounder.  He clearly displayed these skills this summer as he led his SportsReach exhibition team in points and rebounds during their 9-game tour in China.  Harrellson's mid-range game and 3-point shooting are above average for a guy his size, making him a pretty nice fit for Calipari's dribble-drive offense.

If Josh Harrellson can carry his impressive play over into the winter months and prove to be a reliable shooter and rebounder, he will see an exponential rise in both his role on the team and his place in fans' hearts.