Will Jalen step up.

#1
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kayman1

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#1
Anybody know how Jalen Johnson is looking in pre season? Hopefully he can contribute this year.
 
#2
#2
He’s gonna be competing with Pons for minutes behind Schofield at the 3 barring injuries elsewhere. Pons ability/willingness to rebound/defend gives him the edge imo, but I definitely think you’ll see Tennessee try to get him some more opportunities than he got last year. He’s going to have a good chance next year to see significant minutes with Schofield graduating.
 
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#3
#3
I'd like to see if he can get some minutes at the 2 spot. That means that he'd have improved his perimeter shot.

It would be a pretty solid 2nd unit of Turner (PG), JJ (SG), Pons (SF), Walker (5/LP), and Kent/Fulkerson (4/HP).
 
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#4
#4
That's my hope, too. Maybe even a little at PG, Josh Richardson 2.0. I know, probably just a dream, but it sure would be cool and would really help solve the depth problem at PG

Edit: oops, meant to quote TG-O's post
 
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#7
#7
kayman1 said:
Anybody know how Jalen Johnson is looking in pre season? Hopefully he can contribute this year.
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It's going to be interesting to see how JJ and others progress. For some guys it's hard to take the step when you know your minutes are going to be few.
I'm sure Barnes would love the luxury of giving his starters a break. How JJ, Pons, Walker, Kent, etc. progress is going to go a long way in that. We'll find out soon enough.
 
#9
#9
ScotVol said:
Based upon what i have seen, he is not going to be much of a contributor. Walker on the other hand has turned into beast that is going to surprise alot of people. Bone looks really good as well.
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Good call, Walker is definitely a name not being mentioned enough. His game is a lot like Grant W. but he’s a little bigger.
 
#10
#10
ScotVol said:
Based upon what i have seen, he is not going to be much of a contributor. Walker on the other hand has turned into beast that is going to surprise alot of people. Bone looks really good as well.
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What have you seen?
 
#11
#11
Lefteye said:
Good call, Walker is definitely a name not being mentioned enough. His game is a lot like Grant W. but he’s a little bigger.
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Walker will be an all-SEC player, but not next year. Walker will be a big contributor for this team, tho. I'm hoping Bone makes the biggest jump from last season to this season. If that happens, this year will be glorious
 
#12
#12
The Dog said:
Walker will be an all-SEC player, but not next year. Walker will be a big contributor for this team, tho. I'm hoping Bone makes the biggest jump from last season to this season. If that happens, this year will be glorious
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Keeping up the tradition of lofty predictions for Walker I see ;)
 
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#14
#14
The Dog said:
U know that's my boy. At least I didn't make a crazy bet and lose to u. I scaled down the expectations and predictions until his Junior year, tho
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I like his potential too fwiw, I think he’s going to build on last year and show some more consistency. Alexander hopefully is ready to give us 25-30mpg which would mean there’s not a ton there for Walker, but he’s definitely improved his conditioning so he should be able to give us more consistent minutes.
 
#15
#15
bleedingTNorange said:
I like his potential too fwiw, I think he’s going to build on last year and show some more consistency. Alexander hopefully is ready to give us 25-30mpg which would mean there’s not a ton there for Walker, but he’s definitely improved his conditioning so he should be able to give us more consistent minutes.
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That's the way I see it, too, bTo. But, I still wouldn't be surprised if he has a double/double game or 3, this year. I hope Walker has improved on his FTs and mid-range game. I, already think he passes well and shows the potential to be a beast on the boards. Just needs to make sure he is not a liability on FTs and he should average at least 10 minutes per game this year, imo
 
#16
#16
The Dog said:
That's the way I see it, too, bTo. But, I still wouldn't be surprised if he has a double/double game or 3, this year. I hope Walker has improved on his FTs and mid-range game. I, already think he passes well and shows the potential to be a beast on the boards. Just needs to make sure he is not a liability on FTs and he should average at least 10 minutes per game this year, imo
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Yup, definitely wouldn’t be a surprise...you know there are gonna be some games Grant or Alexander are in foul trouble, Walker will be the one to see his minutes go up in those games.
 
#17
#17
Roustabout said:
What have you seen?
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I was lucky enough to watch two hours of practice last week, mostly going full court with refs. To me by far Walker is the most improved. He does not even look like the same person with the change in his body and his game. Strong with moves and good footwork. Has offensive game from anywhere inside the free throw line. Bone is next most improved. Finished so many plays at the rim with makes or assists. I was hoping Jalen would stand out, but he does not seem to have the moves to be anything other than an outside shooter. Fulky is getting back up to speed. Pons is a monster on the glass, defense and slashing to the rim, but no improvement in his offensive game. New big freshman is a 4 star project but very young, probably should redshirt. Trying to get Bowden to run point, but has a long way to go- not a good passer like Bone. Just not his natural position, hurts his shooting. Worried about our lack of depth at guard. AD, Grant, Alexander steady as she goes. Overall, can't wait for my trip to Phoenix for the Gonzaga game. We can beat anybody on our schedule this year.
 
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#18
#18
ScotVol said:
I was lucky enough to watch two hours of practice last week, mostly going full court with refs. To me by far Walker is the most improved. He does not even look like the same person with the change in his body and his game. Strong with moves and good footwork. Has offensive game from anywhere inside the free throw line. Bone is next most improved. Finished so many plays at the rim with makes or assists. I was hoping Jalen would stand out, but he does not seem to have the moves to be anything other than an outside shooter. Fulky is getting back up to speed. Pons is a monster on the glass, defense and slashing to the rim, but no improvement in his offensive game. New big freshman is a 4 star project but very young, probably should redshirt. Trying to get Bowden to run point, but has a long way to go- not a good passer like Bone. Just not his natural position, hurts his shooting. Worried about our lack of depth at guard. AD, Grant, Alexander steady as she goes. Overall, can't wait for my trip to Phoenix for the Gonzaga game. We can beat anybody on our schedule this year.
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Oh hell yeah. As bTo and the regulars know, I love Walker and his potential. I think JJ would be more suited at some PG minutes than Bowden. But, Bone, Walker and Pons raising their game is great news, imo
 
#19
#19
ScotVol said:
I was lucky enough to watch two hours of practice last week, mostly going full court with refs. To me by far Walker is the most improved. He does not even look like the same person with the change in his body and his game. Strong with moves and good footwork. Has offensive game from anywhere inside the free throw line. Bone is next most improved. Finished so many plays at the rim with makes or assists. I was hoping Jalen would stand out, but he does not seem to have the moves to be anything other than an outside shooter. Fulky is getting back up to speed. Pons is a monster on the glass, defense and slashing to the rim, but no improvement in his offensive game. New big freshman is a 4 star project but very young, probably should redshirt. Trying to get Bowden to run point, but has a long way to go- not a good passer like Bone. Just not his natural position, hurts his shooting. Worried about our lack of depth at guard. AD, Grant, Alexander steady as she goes. Overall, can't wait for my trip to Phoenix for the Gonzaga game. We can beat anybody on our schedule this year.
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This all jives with the things I have heard as well, lots of positives....we needed Bone to take that next step, and while it will probably take at least 10 games for me to buy in the early returns are positive. Outside of that there wasn’t a huge glare when looking at everything returning, looking to solidify another post option would be on the list though so the continued news around Walker is positive. Many have forgotten he was getting a lot of praise last preseason as well, had an injury that forced him to miss a few weeks leading up to the year and Barnes said he didn’t find his way until SEC play, we saw a lot of flashes at that point. No doubt he has improved on his conditioning that is obvious when you see him, but if he also has picked up where he left off in SEC play he’s gonna be seeing solid minutes.
 
#20
#20
The Dog said:
Oh hell yeah. As bTo and the regulars know, I love Walker and his potential. I think JJ would be more suited at some PG minutes than Bowden. But, Bone, Walker and Pons raising their game is great news, imo
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Truth be told, neither Bowden or JJ have any business playing PG for any amount of time outside of an emergency or blowout situation. Neither is a good enough ball-handler to log major minutes there outside of a last resort.
 
#21
#21
bleedingTNorange said:
This all jives with the things I have heard as well, lots of positives....we needed Bone to take that next step, and while it will probably take at least 10 games for me to buy in the early returns are positive. Outside of that there wasn’t a huge glare when looking at everything returning, looking to solidify another post option would be on the list though so the continued news around Walker is positive. Many have forgotten he was getting a lot of praise last preseason as well, had an injury that forced him to miss a few weeks leading up to the year and Barnes said he didn’t find his way until SEC play, we saw a lot of flashes at that point. No doubt he has improved on his conditioning that is obvious when you see him, but if he also has picked up where he left off in SEC play he’s gonna be seeing solid minutes.
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Was allegedly the best player on the floor during the overseas trip. I think that early hype kind of fizzled when he didn't see much PT early on in the regular season and had a lot of people scratching their heads as to how this kid who dominated in that international trip couldn't get more than a few minutes here and there.
 
#22
#22
cncchris33 said:
Truth be told, neither Bowden or JJ have any business playing PG for any amount of time outside of an emergency or blowout situation. Neither is a good enough ball-handler to log major minutes there outside of a last resort.
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My guess/hope is that they are just trying to push this on Bowden so that in case of an emergency our season isn’t completely doomed and he’s had some practice there. Not that I want Turner there for big minutes either but he’s a better option than Bowden, as has been mentioned multiple times the best case is Bone takes a huge step and can give us 30-32mpg
 
#23
#23
bleedingTNorange said:
This all jives with the things I have heard as well, lots of positives....we needed Bone to take that next step, and while it will probably take at least 10 games for me to buy in the early returns are positive. Outside of that there wasn’t a huge glare when looking at everything returning, looking to solidify another post option would be on the list though so the continued news around Walker is positive. Many have forgotten he was getting a lot of praise last preseason as well, had an injury that forced him to miss a few weeks leading up to the year and Barnes said he didn’t find his way until SEC play, we saw a lot of flashes at that point. No doubt he has improved on his conditioning that is obvious when you see him, but if he also has picked up where he left off in SEC play he’s gonna be seeing solid minutes.
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Would u say UT Tourney hopes will live and die by Bone's improvement ? Potential Final 4 team if Bone takes the next step up, Sweet 16 if not ? I know match-ups matter, but all things equal, Bone will be the deciding factor ?
 
#24
#24
bleedingTNorange said:
My guess/hope is that they are just trying to push this on Bowden so that in case of an emergency our season isn’t completely doomed and he’s had some practice there. Not that I want Turner there for big minutes either but he’s a better option than Bowden, as has been mentioned multiple times the best case is Bone takes a huge step and can give us 30-32mpg
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Yes, Turner is light years ahead of Bowden in terms of PG ability. And that is more of an indictment of Bowden than a compliment to Turner.
 
#25
#25
cncchris33 said:
Was allegedly the best player on the floor during the overseas trip. I think that early hype kind of fizzled when he didn't see much PT early on in the regular season and had a lot of people scratching their heads as to how this kid who dominated in that international trip couldn't get more than a few minutes here and there.
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Iirc right after that trip is when he got injured, thinking it was concussion or something similar...whatever it was I know he missed quite a bit of time after that trip and leading up to the season, and from all accounts he wasn’t the player coaches had seen until around SEC play.
 
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