Let’s take a look to see how Gicarri Harris can improve following his freshman season.
Purdue Basketball Offseason Homework: Gicarri Harris
When the son of a Mount Rushmore of Purdue player commits, eyebrows are always going to be raised. When Gicarri Harris, the son of Glenn Robinson, chose Purdue, it was clear to see that the athleticism carried down a generation. After a monster career at Grayson High School in Atlanta and a highlight run in the summer leading into his freshman year, Gicarri earned a starting role to begin the season. In the first 3 games of the season, Harris scored 5 in each contest in an average of 21 minutes. Playing as a 6-3 combo guard, his defense was aided tremendously by his size and athleticism but where Gicarri needed time to adjust was on offense. In those same first 3 games, Harris shot 3-10 from 3 but go 1-15 over the following 8 games. After starting the first 5 games for Purdue, Gicarri was moved to coming off the bench in favor of the older pair Myles Colvin and Cam Heide (and later the pair of CJ Cox and Caleb Furst). Once on the bench, it was tough for Gicarri to get a footing, playing 20 or more minutes just 3 times in conference play. A typical night for Harris saw him playing 14-18 minutes and scoring 3-7 points, primarily on a 3 point make and a few rebounds and an assist. It was never the flashiest play, but it was fairly consistent. In the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals against Michigan, Harris had one of his best performances, scoring 11 with 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Unfortunately, when Purdue played its three NCAA tournament games, the minutes really tightened up for freshmen as Matt Painter tends to do. Gicarri averaged 12.3 minutes played and scored 2 points per tournament game. He was shut out in the 8 minutes he played against Houston. Overall, it was a building season for Gicarri Harris. 3 of his best scoring performances came in the last 4 games before the NCAA Tournament and overall, Harris’ final stat line was 15.0 min, 3.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.4 turnovers on 31% shooting from deep and 39.1% shooting overall. Harris also shot a blistering 92.6% from the free throw line, albeit on 27 attempts.
While it may not have been the most glamorous freshman season, it was a steady campaign on a very good team for Gicarri Harris. There is plenty to work on as is the case after nearly all freshman seasons. For Harris, it may feel like he is being pinned in the corner of Purdue’s offense similar to Myles Colvin. Myles ultimately transferred from the program as he felt his offensive game brought more to the table than just being a spot up shooter. For Gicarri, if he is going to be in a similar role, the first thing to work on would be 3-point shooting. 31% is nothing to sneeze at, but there is always room for improvement. Being a consistent threat around the perimeter will not only boost Gicarri’s scoring, but his minutes as Matt Painter really rides the hot hands in his system (see Cam Heide last season).
The second thing I would love to see Gicarri improve on is directly in tandem with his shooting. I want to see him take the ball off the bounce and drive to the basket as well. Gicarri shot over 50% from 2 his freshman year and given his free throw percentage, driving for contact would pay dividends on offense. There will be plenty of times when Gicarri is the most athletic player on the court and he should utilize that to get to the hoop.
While I don’t see Gicarri getting back into the starting lineup this season due to the return of Daniel Jacobsen / addition of Oscar Cluff and the offensive abilities of CJ Cox, I do think Gicarri will be a big part of a very strong bench for Purdue. Guys like Oscar Cluff (or Jacobsen), Omer Mayer, Jack Benter, and Raleigh Burgess will show a deep lineup and Gicarri on the wing will be unique in that secondary lineup. Obviously, there is a blend with the starters, but if Gicarri is out there without the Big 3 of Smith, Loyer, and Kaufman-Renn, Gicarri should look to be ‘the guy’ in that moment. That’s on both sides of the ball as being a combo guard will often put you against the opponent’s ball-handler. So, all of this is to say, I want Harris to have and use that killer instinct and take over when he can.
From a fan standpoint, it’s always so fun to see players develop their skills and grow into a role on our favorite teams. Some guys develop better or quicker than others and some guys have to wait for their moment to come. For Gicarri Harris, I’m excited to see him continue to get better and though the son of the Big Dog may not be the top dog for Purdue this season, he can improve and get one step closer.