What type of production can Ohio State fans expect from Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw?
Pervis Ellison has known Aaron Bradshaw for years. As the director of the New Jersey Scholars AAU program, the Louisville national champion and NBA veteran has spent quite a bit of time in the same gym as Bradshaw.
And Bradshaw's growth from freshman to senior year showed “two totally different players,” Ellison said. He also had a bold prediction for what kind of production the 7-1, 226-pound Bradshaw might provide in 2024-25.
“When he gets to Ohio State, you’re going to see how hard he plays,” Ellison told The Dispatch. “Now it’s just a matter of getting the minutes. You get the minutes, you’re going to see results. If Aaron is on that floor 25 minutes a night, Aaron is going to give you a double-double.”
It’s been some time since the Buckeyes have gotten that level of production from a center. It’s also been a while since they’ve added a player rated as highly as Bradshaw was out of high school. A 2023 McDonald’s All-American, Bradshaw committed to Kentucky and enrolled as a five-star prospect, the No. 1 center in the nation and the No. 4 overall prospect in the 247Sports.com composite rankings.
But an offseason foot injury cost Bradshaw the first seven games of the season and slowed his acclimation at the college level. He ultimately played in 26 games for the Wildcats, averaging 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds while logging 13.7 minutes per game.
In his second appearance, Bradshaw scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while playing 29 minutes of an 81-66 win against Penn on Dec. 9. It would be the high-water mark of Bradshaw’s freshman season in both scoring and rebounding.
Bradshaw played 25 or more minutes four times as a freshman and averaged 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, scoring in double figures all four times.
“I think his game is evolving,” Ellison said. “He’s an extremely talented kid but he’s got a development phase he’s going through with his perimeter skills (and) shooting. He can shoot the (heck) out of the ball but in terms of understanding how to play on the perimeter, that’s all new to him.”
It was an adjustment Bradshaw was making while trying to make up for lost time due to the broken foot suffered in the McDonald’s game. The injury required surgery in June, wiping out his summer and much of his fall. Projected as a possible one-and-done player a year ago, he didn’t participate in a full-contact practice until November 27, six games into the regular season.
The chance to battle daily on a roster with two other 7-footers and three other McDonald’s All-Americans helped with his growth, Ellison said, even if the in-game production didn’t match up to some of the early, lofty projections.
“You can’t do anything unless you have consistent minutes,” he said. “You got consistent minutes, now you become a confident person on the floor. … You’re going to see another major jump that he’s going to make.”
His skill set is that of a versatile, athletic center. He's strong on defense and offensively provides a threat both from the perimeter and in pick-and-pop situations in addition to scoring at the rim. His intangibles, however, receive some of Ellison's most effusive praise.
“The young man’s definitely going to come in and put in the work necessary to achieve his goals,” Ellison said. “He understands he has a goal. He wants to play professional basketball, so he respects the path that’s been laid out for him. When you’ve got him in the gym, he’s locked into how he needs to improve his game.”
Bradshaw is the first McDonald’s All-American to commit to Ohio State since D’Angelo Russell in 2014. He’s the highest-rated player to join the program since Jared Sullinger was the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2010 class. Felix Okpara, Ohio State’s starting center last season, averaged 6.6 points and 6.4 rebounds while playing 23.5 minutes per game.
That means Okpara averaged 11.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per 40 minutes, while Bradshaw averaged 14.2 and 9.6, respectively.
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Pervis said that while he has remained in contact with Bradshaw, the decision to commit to Ohio State was that of the center and his mother, Shawndel.
With the Buckeyes and coach Jake Diebler, Brashaw has a chance to put in a breakout sophomore season as Ohio State’s starting center. The Buckeyes continue to work on landing a stretch-5 to fill out their depth chart down low, but Bradshaw will see the bulk of the team's playing time at center.
Ellison said he has an idea of what that will look like.
“You’ve got to come in ready to compete, so being in that atmosphere (last year at Kentucky) has developed Aaron tremendously,” Ellison said. “I’m going to repeat myself: if Aaron is on that court for 25 minutes a night, Aaron is going to have a double-double. No question in my mind.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: UK basketball transfer Aaron Bradshaw poised for Ohio State breakout
