Indiana made a couple of big signings in the transfer portal this offseason, but probably none bigger than Aiden Sherrell, a highly coveted power forward who hit the portal after a couple of seasons at Alabama. He really broke out as a sophomore, forcing Indiana to beat out some big names to land his services.
He has the talent to put himself on the NBA’s radar if he plays to his potential this year, so he may not be in Bloomington long, but he will definitely have a big impact this year for Darian
DeVries and company.
F Aiden Sherrell
- Position: Forward
- Year: 3rd
- Role: Starting power forward
- Previous school: Alabama
Based on what he did last year in Tuscaloosa, Sherrell will not need to develop much to help Indiana improve on some of the things that the team most last year. His block rate of 8.5% put him in the top 40 nationally, while Indiana as a team came in at 295th. Sherrell also has an offensive rebounding rate of 10.5%, which would have been second on the team last year for Indiana, behind only Sam Alexis.
Speaking of Alexis, his eligibility might be the biggest factor in determining how Sherrell is used next year.
If Alexis is available, Sherrell will likely play almost exclusively at the four spot, presumably backed up by Trent Sisley. If Alexis isn’t available, Sherrell may have to play some minutes at the center position, where he saw most of his minutes last year at Bama.
With Samet Yigitoglu on board, Sherrell will start at the power forward position, where he’ll help Indiana stretch the floor offensively. He shot 33.8% from deep last year on more than two attempts per game, which is more than enough to draw somebody out to the arc with him.
Getting him the most possible minutes at the four will raise Indiana’s ceiling next year, as it lacks the readily established 3-point shooters that it had last year in in Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries. Whether he’s playing alongside Alexis or Ygitoglu, he will help keep defenders out of the lane when he’s on the floor as a power forward.
The other question surrounding Sherrell’s impact this year will be his ability to stay on the floor. He played fewer than 24 minutes per game last year at Bama while only averaging 2.1 fouls per game. Being able to play the power forward alongside a true center should allow him to slim down a bit though, as he won’t be banging bodies against opponents’ biggest players next year.
If he can stay on the floor, bring in offensive rebounds, knock down some threes and protect the rim, it’s easy to see why an NBA team would have an interest in the seven footer. Even if he doesn’t put it all together this first season in Bloomington, it’s a skillset Indiana lacked last year that should pay dividends to have on the roster this year.
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