Tennessee basketball wrapped up its summer practices on Thursday afternoon at Pratt Pavilion and the action was open to the media for the third time this summer. The Vols were banged up and didn’t have a full end of summer schedule like they often do but there are still plenty of notes to get to.
Let’s start with those injury notes. Nate Ament (left wrist) did some drill work with the team but mostly did individual shooting drills on the other side. Ament did have a buddy in those drills as Cade Phillips (left shoulder) had the exact same participation level as Ament.
I thought it was noteworthy that Ament and Phillips were doing the exact same shooting drills and circuit. Phillips has worked some at the three-spot this summer and it seems like a real possibility that he could play there as well as the four this season. Phillips shot the ball well in those drills though there was some inconsistency and it was just drill work.
Both Ament and Phillips jumped into team work at the end of practice when Tennessee worked on its half court 1-3-1 defense. The Vols worked on that defense during the last practice we watched and it’s an intriguing one because of the incredible length they have. Ament was at the top, Phillips and DeWayne Brown were on the wings, Felix Okpara was in the middle and Ja’Kobi Gillespie/Bishop Boswell were on the baseline.
Lastly on the injury front, freshman guard Troy Henderson did not practice due to a left hip flexor. It is not a major injury that Tennessee is worried about.
JP Estrella wasn’t quite full go but he was pretty dang close. He got up-and-down the court and never worked to the side. The junior center had a really nice day and was the best Tennessee big man offensively. He’s always had good touch around the rim but he showed his whole bag Thursday, scoring with both hands and hitting some high release turnarounds.
Okpara did get the best of him on one rep. Estrella caught a pass that went over Okpara and looked like he had a free layup. But Okpara recovered in time to send the shot back.
More From RTI: What Tennessee HC Rick Barnes Said About Nate Ament’s Minor Wrist Injury Thursday
Jaylen Carey and Estrella also had a good nice back-and-forths during practice. Carey had some misses around the rim that he’d like back, but he is just a force. He uses his strength to clear room for himself so effectively and he is an absolute force on the glass.
The freshman Brown had some nice moments in practice as the buzz around him has been positive this summer. I remain a tad skeptical of him having a sizable role because of the veterans in the front court. That’s where Phillips playing some at the three could create minutes for him.
I exit the summer bullish on Tennessee’s frontcourt. Whether one of those guys can truly become an All-SEC level player is the question I’m uncertain of, but the depth is there. The Vols are going to play way more two-big lineups this season and the play style is going to look different to how it is in recent years. But they’re going to be big and long three through five.
Moving to the backcourt, Ja’Kobi Gillespie shot the ball extremely well. There was a portion of practice where I thought he was quiet, largely because Tennessee was working on an action to get the ball inside, and then Gillespie proceeded to hit three triples in about four possessions including a couple from about 25 feet.
Then when Tennessee started to scrimmage full court, Gillespie quickly became the best player on the court as he did a little bit of everything.
It was my first chance to watch Amari Evans after he missed each of the last two practices we watched. His athleticism is as advertised and he had a bit more boost getting to the rim than I expected. Still, offense is a work in progress for the four-star freshman. He had a couple moments he’d like back.
Nothing of serious note to report on Bishop Boswell or Amaree Abram. Both had nice moments but weren’t super consistent on the offensive end.
Lastly, Tennessee expects Clarence Massamba and Ethan Burg to be with the team when they start back up again here in a few weeks.
