Senior Spotlight – D’Angelo Harrison

Over the past four seasons, St. John’s D’Angelo Harrison has caused a lot of excitement for Red Storm fans, though he has also been very frustrating to watch at times. In his senior season, Harrison, a 6’4 shooting guard, has seemed to show a much more mature game, and while he still makes a lot of the same mistakes, it’s on a much smaller scale. He has been a very consistent scorer over the last four seasons, averaging 17.0, 17.8, 17.5, and so far this season, 17.8 points per game. With his college career coming to an end soon, let’s take a look at Harrison’s game and how it translates to the professional level:

Offense

Harrison took a decent step forward in his offensive game in his final season, though many of the same issues he has had continue to be there on a smaller scale. Harrison is a very good spot shooter, with range to the NBA 3-point line, though he does have a low release point, so he needs space to be able to get his shot off well. This leads to what is a big part of his offense, the dribble jumper. Harrison is an above-average ballhandler, with a quick first step, and he uses both to his advantage to create space for his mid-range jumper. While his shot selection has improved this season, he will still take some very poor shots. One area where Harrison needs to put in work is his ability to get to, and finish at, the basket. Almost half of his attempts at the basket this season come in transition, and he will rarely look to attack the basket of there are help defenders in the area. Also, Harrison likes to force most of the action to his right hand, and even if he gets an open lane to the basket on the left, he will look to go to his right.  Harrison can be very good in transition, though if he is pushing the ball, he can be a bit sloppy, and though he has a nice hesitation/speed burst to get by defenders, he will force things into the defense. Harrison has developed into a nice ballhandler and passer in pick-and-roll situations, and with his size, it may be a key for him going forward.  He is a very good free throw shooter, and he draws a lot of contact without attacking the basket often.

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Defense

Harrison is a quick, active defender, with the ability to contain on the perimeter, or deny passing lanes off the ball.  He covers a lot of ground when St. John’s is in a zone, and he can get from helping in the lane to the perimeter very quickly. Harrison has good lateral movement over short distances, though he doesn’t react very quickly to his man, especially with changes in direction. Though he is very active and covers a lot of space, he can be almost frantic as tries to defend as much as possible, often leading to spots where his man is left open on the perimeter. Harrison does a good job looking to close on perimeter shooters, and though he doesn’t have ideal size for a shooting guard, he does what he can to affect shots. He takes some chances on and off the ball, and while some pay off, many do not and leave the rest of the team scrambling to help. Harrison is a good rebounder for his size and position, having a good knack for where missed shots will go and getting to the ball quickly, which often gives him a chance to start the team in transition. Overall, Harrison could be a good defender, he just needs to be more focused on what he’s trying to accomplish within the team’s defense.

The Next Level

Harrison is like may college seniors who come out every year – he’s spent four years at the shooting guard position, but he doesn’t really have the size for the next level where 6’5-6’6 is becoming more the norm. Still, his ability to score in a variety of ways, plus an improved ability to run and make reads in pick-and-roll situations will serve him well at the next level, wherever he plays. Defensively, he has the ability and speed to defend point guards and smaller shooting guards, he just needs to focus more on what the team’s trying to accomplish on defense. Next year, Harrison’s style of play would fit very well in the D-League, but his skill set will also be attractive to many International teams.

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