Looking for Pons to be the biggest surprise of 2019-20 season

He certainly was not, but that's ok. You can believe whatever lie you tell yourself. He was very good at times, not so great at others. A far cry from a liability as you claim, but it's normal message board fodder to only speak in hyperbole. I see you are no different. The only place he was not very good was in the post against 4s.

I will not argue about defense. There were times he seemed to get kind of lost; however he always had plenty of hustle.

To me at least he became scared to shoot the ball. When/if that happens you become a liability, just being on the floor.

I imagine he has worked hard, and that probably will not be a problem this year. We will see.
 
Its funny how we can all badmouth Yves Pons but if even one of us questions Drew Pember the **** hits the fan.

1). Pember hasn't played a single minute.

2). Nothing wrong with questioning Pember and I don't think that that leads to **** hitting the fan. Questioning whether he'll be impactful is totally different from talking **** about him that many on the board do chronically.
 
Yves Pons will be the key to Tennessee having a good to solid season. He has to develop a consistent mid range jump shot and rebound the ball with a vengeance and it would not surprise me if he is the starter at the small forward position at the beginning of next season.
 
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Pons needs to be in a skills camp, not a league. If he’d take two elements of his game and just relentlessly work on them he might improve his game. Ball handling and shooting should be at the top.
This is what I've been saying since day one. He can play pickup games against some mid-level college players to boost his confidence but he needs to work on his handles and shooting everyday. The athleticism is there already.
 
I will not argue about defense. There were times he seemed to get kind of lost; however he always had plenty of hustle.

To me at least he became scared to shoot the ball. When/if that happens you become a liability, just being on the floor.

I imagine he has worked hard, and that probably will not be a problem this year. We will see.
He certainly was hesitant to shoot at times, which probably led to less minutes (that and Turner and Bowden taking a step forward). He would turn down 3s, but he did start attacking the paint more and had a few nice little mid range pull ups last year.

He has to be a better 3 point shooter to stay on the court this year, no doubt. I think he'll be okay, but he'll never become a big time scorer. His improvement is vital to our team, so let's hope he's improved a good amount.
 
This is what I've been saying since day one. He can play pickup games against some mid-level college players to boost his confidence but he needs to work on his handles and shooting everyday. The athleticism is there already.
He really needs to study the game. His offensive basketball knowledge is low. He needs to really watch film on guys with similar athletic skill sets as him. He needs to lose the 3 and d mindset right now. It is going to take him a while to get a feasible three point shot (he struggles to hit free throws). He really needs to go to the basics.
 
I foolishly believed the reports of him being in the gym all the time last offseason would translate to a significant jump for him last season. Man, was I fooled. He just doesn't have any aggression, decisiveness, or initiative with the ball in his hands. He makes Robert Hubbs look like Allen Iverson with the ball. I have resigned myself to the idea that anything we get from him will be a bonus.
 
Pons will improve in all areas of his game, and with his incredible athleticism, he'll be the star of the coming season. A Clyde Drexler type player.

We certainly need him but this is what I was expecting from him last season. Just think if he had broke out? He actually went backwards, looked lost and slow making decisions on court. Much better the year before. Maybe he was battling some illness or injury?
 
Pons had a better performance yesterday. He had 5p, 4r, 2s, 1b. Still wasn’t efficient shooting the ball, but he did hit a three. It also looked like he changed his shooting stance somewhat.
http://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u20/2019/game/1507/Turkey-France#|tab=boxscore
I am afraid that Pons will not be much improved this Fall. I hope I am wrong, but it seems that his offense is still not up to SEC and Barn's standards. I believe one of new guys, in addition the J.J. will out play Pons and steel many of his minutes. We will wait and see.
 
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Have to wonder if the language barrier is still a problem for Pons. Barnes' system requires that all his players can read defenses and recognize offensive schemes on the fly. Watching him at times last season look completely lost and out of sync it seems his BB IQ hasn't developed on schedule.
That's my major concern for all of the roster this season. How fast they they meld as a team on the floor will also determine what kind of season they have. Plenty of talent, but BB IQ is the question that needs to be answered and early.
If it isn't there Barnes will have to do a lot more 'in game' coaching than he's shown so far.
 

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