Tennessee basketball will have a new look this season. That’s not only true with the specific players on Tennessee’s roster but with the personnel. After playing more small ball in past seasons, Tennessee is much bigger this year and will play more two-big lineups than they have in a number of seasons.
Bigger lineups creates a question about Tennessee’s ability to space the floor this season and in terms open up driving lanes for projected stars Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament.
For Tennessee’s offense to reach its potential, they need one or two big men to be willing shooters from the perimeter that opponents have to respect. And earlier this week, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said that they’re going to allow one unlikely big man to shoot three-pointers this season.
“We’re really going to let Felix shoot the three,” Barnes said on the Mike Keith Show. “He’s worked hard at it. He’s got good touch and he’ll know when and when not to. But he’s a guy that, again, I think, had been placed in a box. And he’s starting to realize he can do so much more than he probably had been thought or challenged to do.”
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Okpara shot just one three-pointer a season ago, knocking down an elbow triple late in the shot clock against Mississippi State. It was a big shot as Tennessee stopped a Bulldogs run. After the game, Barnes joked that Okpara couldn’t shoot another triple so he could end his career as Tennessee’s three-point percentage leader.
But now, Okpara at least has the yellow light shooting triples. The 6-foot-11 senior showed an ability to knock down perimeter shots in summer workouts, especially from the corner. As a junior, Okpara averaged 7.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
Okpara was fantastic as a pick-and-roll lob threat and at cleaning up trash around the rim. Tennessee is hoping he can add more to his offensive game entering this season.
Cade Phillips has worked some on the wing this preseason and is consistently working on his three-point shot. JP Estrella has a strong offensive game but has not shot many three-pointers to this point. Transfer forward Jaylen Carey made nine three-pointers a season ago but has not looked like an improved shooter this offseason.
Tennessee basketball enters the season as a near universal top 20 team that will again compete for the SEC Championship and is capable of making a deep run in March.
