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About Aaron Henry
• Aaron Henry is a rangy, versatile swingman whose improvement late in his junior season in a featured offensive role sparked the Spartans’ unexpected run to the NCAA Tournament. Widely regarded as a top-150 prospect in the high school class of 2018 following his senior year at Ben Davis High School (IN), the Indianapolis native nonetheless carved out a spot in head coach Tom Izzo’s starting lineup two games into Big Ten play as a true freshman. Turning in his best game of the season in an NCAA Tournament win over LSU as a sophomore, the 21-year-old wing faced steep expectations in a much larger role as a junior. Averaging 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, Henry had a somewhat uneven year, turning a corner in February to lead the Spartans to victory in a half-dozen must-win games down the stretch and earning All-Big Ten 3rd Team honors in the process.
• Standing 6-foot-6 with an improving 210-pound frame and good length, Henry has good size for a wing and is a solid athlete with good speed and quickness by NBA standards.
• Going from playing primarily off the ball alongside a pair of elite passing NBA draft picks as an underclassman to the focal point of much of what Michigan State did offensively last season, Henry faced a steep learning curve as a junior. Doing a little bit of everything offensively and showing the ability to create some for himself and others off the dribble, Henry struggled to find his range early in the year. Seeming to figure things out all at once late in the season, Henry got on track from the perimeter, embraced a significant one-on-one scoring burden and looked more confident as he lifted the Spartans onto the bubble and then into the NCAA Tournament.
• Making the most of his tools defensively, Henry regularly held his own at both guard spots throughout his collegiate career and made some impressive plays blocking shots and getting in the passing lanes as a junior.
Advanced Stats
• Playing mostly off the ball alongside one of the top floor generals in the country over his first two seasons, Henry had shown flashes of ability as a secondary ball handler but was thrust into a huge role as a junior. Proving more productive some nights than others early on, Henry gave the Spartans a boost when he was aggressive, but it took him some time before he was staying in attack-mode consistently — his one-on-one usage more than doubled late in the year as the Spartans found themselves falling off the bubble.
• Growing into a role that saw him creating his own shot prolifically, Henry was increasingly aggressive looking to attack closeouts and score in isolation or post up situations. He averaged 0.90 points per dribble jump shot in the half court [71st percentile] showing improvement as a pull-up shooter while looking to be aggressive from the midrange and the mid-post.
• Averaging 1.01 points per shot around the rim in the half court [32nd percentile], Henry did not benefit from the catch and score opportunities inside that he made the most of as an underclassman to buffer his efficiency. However, he made an impact as a slasher nonetheless showing a strong first step to get downhill, deft touch on his floater, and the passing ability to find the open man when he put opposing defenses in rotation. He is not the most dynamic ball handler and had some issues with turnovers but gave Michigan State a boost when he forced the issue.
• Averaging 0.82 points per catch and shoot jump shot in the half court [26th percentile], the lefty is still not the most aggressive floor spacer and leans forward noticeably on some attempts, but he shot the ball far better as a sophomore and late in his junior season than his numbers suggest
Defensive Analysis
• Possessing good length, quickness, and intensity, Henry was a consistent factor on the defensive end while frequently guarding multiple positions last season. Making a significant effort to contain opposing guards and staying engaged away from the ball, he was very solid on that end of the floor. He allowed 0.82 points per isolation possession [38th percentile] as he often guarded the opposing team’s best perimeter player for stretches.
• Making some hustle plays around the rim and chipping in on the glass, Henry was part of the reason the Spartans could hang their hat on their defense until their offense came around late in the year.
— Profile by Synergy Sports
