Brandon Garrison comes to the Kentucky Wildcats this year as a promising sophomore with a bright future, even if he doesn’t carve out a starting role right away.
In his freshman season at Oklahoma State, the 6-foot-10 center averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 22.7 minutes per game. Although not the greatest numbers, Mark Pope and the staff hope to maximize Garrison’s potential.
Recently, Jace Derryberry of Sports Illustrated named Garrison a sleeper transfer to watch for in the 2024-25 college basketball season. Here were some of Derryberry’s reasoning in regards to Garrison’s offensive capabilities.
“He rolls well and can make quick decisions after setting screens, whether that involves hard rolls or popping to the mid-range. Garrison does a good job of making those decisions early to keep the floor spaced. Processing the game at a high level is not very common in young big men, but his game tape highlights this as a strong suit. Playing off the ball and serving as a play-finisher is sufficient for this type of player in college, but it will need to be expanded upon to create a career at the next level,” wrote Derryberry.
With Garrison now at Kentucky, hopefully, he can add more strength to his game, which in return would help him put up more stats. He has the potential be more of a playmaker in Pope’s offense.
Meanwhile, on the defensive side, here is what Derryberry had to say about Garrison.
“He is not a standout vertical athlete but impressed with his lateral movement as a freshman. With a non-stop motor, Garrison does a great job of hedging screens before quickly dropping back to the rim. While he may not be an overly versatile defender at the moment, he forces opposing offenses to make quick decisions with his activity and long arms while moving his feet quickly, which is promising for his long-term potential,” wrote Derryberry.
“He is a rim deterrent even if he is not blocking shots. His refusal to back down from drivers last season was impressive, but he will need to challenge vertically more consistently to avoid foul trouble. Whether he is the primary defender or coming from the help side, he has good timing and hand-eye coordination, making opponents think twice when attacking the rim.”
With Garrison showing flashes in his freshman season at Oklahoma State, his potential is very high, and he could be a promising player for Kentucky to have on the roster for a couple of years.
