My thoughts on each player, what are yours?

#76
#76
cncchris33 said:
I certainly hope that is the case, but even in Nkamhoua's high school tape, I saw nothing to give me hope. I was very adamant that I didn't want us to sign him. Thought we were better served holding the scholarship, and still believe that, to this point. Fulk at least flashed early on and gave you glimpses of what he could be, then had the unfortunate injury. It was fair to wonder after two years if he would ever make good on that early promise he showed. Plavsic is big, moves pretty well, and is mildly coordinated for a guy his size, but he's also a 22 year old rSO. I'd love to see more of the guy who whipped Mississippi State, last year, to the tune of 16 pts, 3 rebs, 2 assts. That is what I go back to holding out hope for him.
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I'm not sure that holding the scholarship would have helped because our coaching staff can't sign post players. It's about to really catch up with us when Pons and Fulky are gone unless something changes.
 
#77
#77
PulaskiVolFan said:
This is just my point of view, everyone has one:

Fulkerson: I never thought he'd be the player he's become. His effort is still his best attribute. He's our most valuable player as we don't have anyone else that can play that position. He looks thin to me this year, I was hoping he'd be physically stronger this year.

Pons: He's got to be the trash man for the team. Offensive rebounds, enough offense to help down low and continue to being SEC Defensive Player of the Year!

Vescovi: Probably not a popular opinion but I feel Vescovi is 5th best talent wise amongst the guards. He earns time because of his exceptional shot and his basketball savvy. He has definitely improved his defense although he's still #5 of 5 amongst the guards, he's improved his ball handling, especially his right hand. He's much more active this year, especially at the little things. He's the slowest G we've got with very little explosiveness.

Keon: Most talented player on the floor most nights. He's already showing that he can be dominant on the defensive end. Watch him along the baselines on both ends, he dominates in that section of the floor.

JJJ: He's a poor man's Scottie Pippen and the best stat stuffer on the team. All-league defensively, great on the boards and unselfish to a fault. He's going to run the offense a bunch I feel.

Springer: I really like his game. This cat is physical and has great hands and good basketball instincts. He reminds me of guys like Dumars Wade and ex Vol great Fred Jenkins. Come tournament time his physical style is going to be big for us. He's pretty quick too.

Anosike: Good player, plays hard, helps us a bit down low but I don't see him being all that productive in conference play. 4-7 ppg and 3-5 reb per game wouldn't surprise me.

Bailey: Sweet shot, decent on the defensive end, competes hard. He struggles to get his own shot I feel. Good leader. He'll play a bunch early and give way to the FR come tournament time.

Big O: I'm a fan and think Barnes will develop him into a really good player, maybe even all-conference some day.
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Fulky will not have the stats he had last year, too many talented mouths to feed. Most important player on the team though as I think he’s earned the respect of his teammates. Make no mistake, this is John Fulkersons team!

Pons looks like he’s developed a nice touch from 7-10 ft.

Vescovi, best way to describe him is cool and a ton of swagger. I think he brings the attitude to the team.

Johnson and Springer are gonna be a lot of fun to watch! Johnson may be the more athletic, explosive, highlight reel player but in the long run Springer will be the better college player. He relies on so much more than athletic ability. I’m going to enjoy them while we have them.

JJJ is as solid of a player as you can ask for and when Barnes is done with him, he will be a Vol legend, kinda like Schofield, imo.

Bailey will win some games for us, guaranteed!

Anosike will be a key contributor to this team down the stretch, if for no other reasons than experience and toughness. Plus I think this kid genuinely loves Tennessee and will definitely give his all.

GBO!!
 
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#78
#78
Volle said:
Ball handling at the point is this team’s weakness. Notice the trouble we had getting the ball inbounded the last few series against Cinci. Vesc is better, a step faster, but still weak with the off-hand. James still can’t create off the dribble-drive. Rebounding against strong post teams is the other issue. I’d say realistic ceiling is Elite-8 this year as we’re still missing a true PG and center.
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I worry about us on the glass also.
GBO!!
 
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#80
#80
From Basilio’s blog today:

Tennessee's rotation will be wide in this game. Plavy & Olivier will get ample opportunity tonight. You can also expect to see Davonte Gaines see his first action tonight. There's a chance you might see Walker and Drew Pember tonight.

On Nkamhoua ... The talk internally from Tennessee's staff is that Finnish sophomore is not seeing the fruits of his terrific practices in games. Tennessee believes that he's become too timid in games and they want to use games like tonight to get him more comfortable.

Corey Walker ... I'm hearing he has some offensive skills but he's a liability on the defensive end due to conditioning issues.

On Gaines ... You can expect him to see some valuable situational minutes since Rick Barnes loves his defensive ability to frustrate guards and wings.
 
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#81
#81
It’s got to be tough for a competitor like Gaines who has always been a contributing player to not see any minutes this year. As much as I like him, he probably ought to transfer somewhere he can get solid playing time
 
#82
#82
I agree on Fulkerson. I never thought Williams, Schofield, or Alexander would be as good as they were either, but Barnes has a knack for maximizing players potential and Fulky is as good an example as any of the others.

Vescovi's best attributes are his spot up shooting and his ability to find open shooters with his unorthodox drives. He definitely doesn't possess the quickness or ball handling you'd prefer in a traditional PG (he's coming next season).

JJJ: I actually think we have to get way more out of him and I think it's very possible that we do. I'd like to see him become more aggressive attacking the rim on offense, and being more active with rebounding and steals on defense.

Johnson is our second best overall player. Cant wait to see him get better and better. I have a hunch this could be his only season on Rocky Top.

Springer: I agree with what you said on him. I knew he was going to be good and while I don't think he's quite as polished as Johnson right now, I wasn't aware of the toughness it seems like he has...

Anosike lacks the height and length to be more than a 10-12 minute player, but that isn't to say he isn't valuable, especially right now. I think his role has to be to provide relentless toughness and energy in the minutes that he earns. IMO, if Oliver is ever able to improve in those two areas, we'll see more of Oliver instead of Anosike. I hate it that Uros isn't good enough to come in for 2-3 minutes and check a 7 footer like Cinncinnati had.

With our improvement in having much better guard play this year, Pons has to be a double digit rebounder every night along with everything he did for us last season

I'd like to see Bailey evolve into the court leader for this team. We're young and talented, and we'll be in desperate need for a floor general as the season progresses and tourney time gets here. So much of basketball is played on "the fly" compared to football---meaning set plays, player discretion, etc......This is really where it's pivital someone like emerges as a leader.
 
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#83
#83
508mikey said:
Whats the reason Uros hasnt played much ? Last year everyone wanted him eligible by the NCAA so bad
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Maybe a little harsh but everyone wanted him eligible before we really saw him play at all. We were intrigued by his size. Unfortunately, outside of his size he doesn't bring much of anything to the table. That is not to say he is terrible. He just isn't good enough to contribute much at the SEC level. Speed of the game is too fast for him to adequately defend or rebound. Offensively he gets pushed off his spot too easily and receives the ball in spots that make it difficult to score. He doesn't have naturally good instincts once he gets the ball. Very robotic-like. Slow to make his move.
 
#84
#84
Thunder Good-Oil said:
From Basilio’s blog today:

Tennessee's rotation will be wide in this game. Plavy & Olivier will get ample opportunity tonight. You can also expect to see Davonte Gaines see his first action tonight. There's a chance you might see Walker and Drew Pember tonight.

On Nkamhoua ... The talk internally from Tennessee's staff is that Finnish sophomore is not seeing the fruits of his terrific practices in games. Tennessee believes that he's become too timid in games and they want to use games like tonight to get him more comfortable.

Corey Walker ... I'm hearing he has some offensive skills but he's a liability on the defensive end due to conditioning issues.

On Gaines ... You can expect him to see some valuable situational minutes since Rick Barnes loves his defensive ability to frustrate guards and wings.
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They just called Nkamhoua the basketball-version of JG. That's a low blow. Nobody deserves that level of vitriol, lol.
 
#85
#85
zjcvols said:
Saying JJJ is a poor man’s Scottie Pippen and saying he should run the offense a bunch is one of the worst player evaluations I’ve seen on this board. You’re severely overrating him.
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He’s our Draymond. Calling him a top 100 player of all time is definitely a stretch lol
 
#86
#86
Fulkerson: agree on Fulk. He has a little Kevin McHale to his game as far as tools go. Not on that level yet and maybe not quite the shot blocker, but he can pass, score around the bucket, and handle the ball decently well for his size, as well as run the floor. If he were to gain a little more weight and improve his rebounding a tad I could see him make an NBA roster. If he developed an outside shot he could be a stretch 4.

Pons: has all the athletic ability and frame for the NBA. Needs to work on his ball handling so he can drive to the rim and finish more. Shot is pretty good but could still improve from outside.

JJJ: Jack of all trades, and a master of none. He needs to continue to work on finishing around the rim, and try to develop more of a killer instinct, but all the tools are there. Decent enough shot that he could develop into an adequate 3 point shooter at the next level, but not great.

Bailey: Reminds me of Bowden. Smooth looking shot, plays above average D, but not elite like Keon. Not sure he can create his own shot much, but very solid player. A great 4th option on an elite team.

Keon: A little raw, but has the highest ceiling on the team. Could be an exceptional NBA player, and should continue to work on his 3pt shot. Kind of like an even more athletic Josh Richardson except plays SG.

Springer: A little more polished than Keon right now, but ceiling not quite as high. Still up there though. i see a bit of Dwayne Wade in his game, tools wise. Could play either guard position, but I’m interested in seeing him at PG at UT.

Vescovi: Not an elite athlete, but great looking set shot. Good passer, adequate but not great ball handler. Could see him making money in Europe for a good while.

Anosike: I think he is a little overmatched at this level because of his size. Listed at 6-7 but looks more like 6-6. I don’t think he will be able to score a lot consistently, so he needs to concentrate on crashing the boards hard.

ON: Have not seen much from him yet. Coaches say he is good in practice, but so was Guarantano. Needs to play loose, but smart. Needs to rebound.

Plavsic: Can hit a hook shot every once in a while but that’s all I’ve seen. Not a great rebounder, defender, or rim protector. Needs to be a physical hatchet man who gets more boards.

Gaines: Love his effort and length. Good defender. Liability on offense, but can run in transition. Needs to gain more weight.

Pember: have not seen enough yet. Needs to gain a lot of weight. 40lbs or so.
 
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#88
#88
Thunder Good-Oil said:
From Basilio’s blog today:

Tennessee's rotation will be wide in this game. Plavy & Olivier will get ample opportunity tonight. You can also expect to see Davonte Gaines see his first action tonight. There's a chance you might see Walker and Drew Pember tonight.

On Nkamhoua ... The talk internally from Tennessee's staff is that Finnish sophomore is not seeing the fruits of his terrific practices in games. Tennessee believes that he's become too timid in games and they want to use games like tonight to get him more comfortable.

Corey Walker ... I'm hearing he has some offensive skills but he's a liability on the defensive end due to conditioning issues.

On Gaines ... You can expect him to see some valuable situational minutes since Rick Barnes loves his defensive ability to frustrate guards and wings.
Click to expand...
I'm not a big fan of Basilio, he loves to always throw the negative view out there.
 
#89
#89
Thunder Good-Oil said:
From Basilio’s blog today:

Tennessee's rotation will be wide in this game. Plavy & Olivier will get ample opportunity tonight. You can also expect to see Davonte Gaines see his first action tonight. There's a chance you might see Walker and Drew Pember tonight.

On Nkamhoua ... The talk internally from Tennessee's staff is that Finnish sophomore is not seeing the fruits of his terrific practices in games. Tennessee believes that he's become too timid in games and they want to use games like tonight to get him more comfortable.

Corey Walker ... I'm hearing he has some offensive skills but he's a liability on the defensive end due to conditioning issues.

On Gaines ... You can expect him to see some valuable situational minutes since Rick Barnes loves his defensive ability to frustrate guards and wings.
Click to expand...

Oddly enough seeing Walker in the pictures/practice videos I thought the same thing. Not a knock on the kid with all the stuff going on, but I said "he's not in Barnes playing shape yet"
 
#94
#94
therickbol said:
Maybe a little harsh but everyone wanted him eligible before we really saw him play at all. We were intrigued by his size. Unfortunately, outside of his size he doesn't bring much of anything to the table. That is not to say he is terrible. He just isn't good enough to contribute much at the SEC level. Speed of the game is too fast for him to adequately defend or rebound. Offensively he gets pushed off his spot too easily and receives the ball in spots that make it difficult to score. He doesn't have naturally good instincts once he gets the ball. Very robotic-like. Slow to make his move.
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Give the guy a break. He was thrown in in the middle of SEC play. No benefit of a preseason schedule. He tried too hard to make things happen.
 
#95
#95
walkenvol said:
It’s got to be tough for a competitor like Gaines who has always been a contributing player to not see any minutes this year. As much as I like him, he probably ought to transfer somewhere he can get solid playing time
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I think if he remains patient he will get to the promised land. He needs to gain more weight, and continue to work hard. I think the sky is the limit for him if he can find his place on offense.

Really, I don't think it would help his development that much to transfer. He probably isn't ready to play big minutes at any major college. So, he might as well just bide his time here, and be a part of a championship team.
 
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#96
#96
i2amavol said:
I think if he remains patient he will get to the promised land. He needs to gain more weight, and continue to work hard. I think the sky is the limit for him if he can find his place on offense.

Really, I don't think it would help his development that much to transfer. He probably isn't ready to play big minutes at any major college. So, he might as well just bide his time here, and be a part of a championship team.
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He should know that Barnes can develop him, if he sticks around and he seems to have an unparalleled work ethic. Talking about Gaines hitting the court to work on his game after the Colorado game. I really hope he gets some playing time, tonight. We are up around 25, right now
 
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#97
#97
i2amavol said:
I think if he remains patient he will get to the promised land. He needs to gain more weight, and continue to work hard. I think the sky is the limit for him if he can find his place on offense.

Really, I don't think it would help his development that much to transfer. He probably isn't ready to play big minutes at any major college. So, he might as well just bide his time here, and be a part of a championship team.
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It can’t hurt his development to go up against the likes of JJJ, KJ, and JS nearly every day. Most development occurs in the hours spent on the practice floor. Practicing against guys better will make you better than will practicing against guys not as good.
 
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#98
#98
You have to get game minutes to reach your potential. If no guards leave for the NBA after this season then Gaines needs to find a place where he can get on the court. He’s too good to not play. If there’s no minutes available at UT then he ought to find greener pastures. IMHO
 
#99
#99
Even if no guards leave after this year, Gaines will still have 3 years left. Another year of daily work versus potential lottery picks won’t hurt his development.
 
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