A few thoughts from BTO

[cardvolfan]

Ethan Burg is a worse version of Tyreke Key. Identical size, streaky shooters, questionable ball-handling, poor defenders. Probably room for Burg to improve as he was a late addition and is perhaps still adjusting, but he's also 23 years old. How much better can he really get?

Burg needed earlier acclimation to his new climate quite possibly more than anyone else on this team. I have to think he totally underestimated just how difficult it would be coming to Knoxville and adjusting to everything. His ball-handling makes me a nervous wreck, among other things you mentioned, but I truly can’t envision him helping us at all in any meaningful way this year. I would ride with Abram, but at least we can enjoy the competition among them.

 

[Vols All Day]

His ball-handling makes me a nervous wreck, among other things you mentioned, but I truly can’t envision him helping us at all in any meaningful way this year. I would ride with Abram, but at least we can enjoy the competition among them.

I still believe that Burg can provide something. Burg just isn’t a point guard. I know he has only taken 18 attempts, but he is shooting 44% from three. I would like to see him in a Vescovi type of role.

 

[cardvolfan]

I still believe that Burg can provide something. Burg just isn’t a point guard. I know he has only taken 18 attempts, but he is shooting 44% from three. I would like to see him in a Vescovi type of role.

Oh, he does have some positives for sure as you said. I hope I’m wrong, but the overall evidence concerns me.

 

[VOLtaism]

I still believe that Burg can provide something. Burg just isn’t a point guard. I know he has only taken 18 attempts, but he is shooting 44% from three. I would like to see him in a Vescovi type of role.

When I watched his film preseason he was a head down drive to the basket type player, just what we needed I was thinking. Have not seen him do that at this level.

 

[VolsNetClippers2025]

Three things keeping the team from being elite:

1. Free throws.

2. Turnovers.

3. Not enough consistent, willing outside shooters.


I genuinely think our defense can be up to scratch to compete with the best of them and JG is about as consistent as they get. But truly top teams make free throws, don't turn the ball over as carelessly, and have both a good post game and willing shooters from beyond the arc who can get their buckets from 3 and at the rim consistently. I can see us improve on the first two, although I would've thought the turnovers would have started to correct themselves a bit already, but unless Ament can get his shooting up, I don't see how we compete with the Michigan's of the world when all the chips are down. I was so much more optimistic at the start of the season than I am now, really hope I'm wrong.

 

[ColinS]

They’ve exceeded expectations, I’m saying we need a guard to step up (Henderson, Burg, Abram) because you likely can’t get 30+mpg from Boswell & Evans which is what you’d need to not need one of those guards. Ideally our best rotation imo would probably be…

Gillespie 35/Boswell 5
Boswell 25/Evans 15
Ament 30/Evans 10
Brown 15/Carey 25
Okpara 20/Estrella 20

But I don’t think Evans and Boswell can play that many minutes without hitting foul trouble

In other words your saying they need somebody else to step up and help them. I'm with you on that.

 

[MinisterofDef#92]

Ethan Burg is a worse version of Tyreke Key. Identical size, streaky shooters, questionable ball-handling, poor defenders. Probably room for Burg to improve as he was a late addition and is perhaps still adjusting, but he's also 23 years old. How much better can he really get?

Exactly...I'm afraid what we've seen is all we are going to get

Edit: Great comp with him being a poor man's Key btw

 

[DMcVol]

I think we’re going to see more Henderson going forward, less Burg, maybe less Abram too…Like Evans, he’s played his way into more minutes…

 

[walkenvol]

I think we’re going to see more Henderson going forward, less Burg, maybe less Abram too…Like Evans, he’s played his way into more minutes…

I’ve watched all the games and I’ve seen Evans’ play that earning him more minutes but I’ve missed Henderson’s great play that’s going to earn him more minutes? CRB has committed positively about Henderson so I suspect he showing better in practice and maybe that’s going to earn him more minutes. Hope he keeps improving because we need a backup PG.

 

[Lankykong]

I’ve watched all the games and I’ve seen Evans’ play that earning him more minutes but I’ve missed Henderson’s great play that’s going to earn him more minutes? CRB has committed positively about Henderson so I suspect he showing better in practice and maybe that’s going to earn him more minutes. Hope he keeps improving because we need a backup PG.

I think he just doesn’t make disastrous TOs quite as much as our other backup PG options currently. That’s good enough for me

 

[ColinS]

I think he just doesn’t make disastrous TOs quite as much as our other backup PG options currently. That’s good enough for me

We don't need some great offensive output from the backup point guard spot. Just come in take care of the ball and stay in front of your man. Burg's came in and single handedly changed the momentum in the Arkansas game. Coach Barnes couldn't even steal a couple of minutes from him with up up 5 in that second half.

 

[DMcVol]

I’ve watched all the games and I’ve seen Evans’ play that earning him more minutes but I’ve missed Henderson’s great play that’s going to earn him more minutes? CRB has committed positively about Henderson so I suspect he showing better in practice and maybe that’s going to earn him more minutes. Hope he keeps improving because we need a backup PG.

More practice minutes and Barnes’ comments. That was the same scenario with Evans before he got more playing time.

 

[oldaaucoach]

I think we’re going to see more Henderson going forward, less Burg, maybe less Abram too…Like Evans, he’s played his way into more minutes…

I would like to see Amaree Abram get more minutes. He is a good defender, not a TO machine, and is a 3pt shooter - albeit a bit streaky. I don't think we've seen his best when he just gets a couple of spot minutes here and there.