Tennessee basketball’s roster is almost set after landing star Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris out of the transfer portal earlier this week. Now a month after the portal opened, the Vols have added six transfers to their roster as well as a fourth prep recruit.
Rick Barnes and his staff still have two scholarships to work with as they fill up their roster for next season as they continue to pursue front court depth. But the roster is now mostly set entering Barnes’ 12th season as a head coach.
What could Tennessee’s starting lineup look like? Taking a look here while explaining the logic for my selections.
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Projected Starters
- Jr. G Terrence Hill Jr.
- Gr. G Tyler Lundblade
- Jr. G Juke Harris
- So. G Jalen Haralson
- Sr. C Miles Rubin
Bench (in general order)
- Sr. G Dai Dai Ames
- So. C DeWayne Brown Jr.
- Jr. F Braedan Lue
- So. G Troy Henderson
- Fr. F Chris Washington Jr
- Fr. G Manny Green
- Fr. F Ralph Scott
- Fr. G Marquis Clark
- Jr. G Campbell Duncan
- Jr. G Gavin Paull
Hill And Harris Are The Surefire Starters
VCU transfer guard Terrence Hill and Wake Forest transfer guard Juke Harris are the two players I view as surefire starters next season. Harris was the crown jewel of the strong transfer class after averaging 21.4 points per game for the Demon Deacons a year ago.
Hill was a combo guard at VCU who will step into the starting point guard spot at Tennessee. He is also more than capable of playing off the ball, making 81 triples at a 37% clip last season while being stellar in catch-and-shoot opportunities.
Tennessee added a lot of big-time scorers this offseason. These are the two I have the highest expectations for.
Why Lundblade Over Ames
That leaves Belmont sharpshooter Tyler Lundblade and Cal combo guard Dai Dai Ames as the two other potential starters at the guard spots. So why Lundblade over Ames?
Lundblade is a sharpshooter who is stellar moving without the ball to get open shots and elite at hitting moving triples when he is well defended. He does not thrive at creating off the dribble.
The Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year posted just a 17.6% usage rate last season, a mark that ranked seventh on Belmont’s roster. Compare that to Ames who averaged 16.9 points per game last season but on a 25.1% usage rate.
Lundblade better fits playing around the more ball dominant Harris and Hill. That leaves Ames, who is stellar creating with the ball in his hands, as an offensive spark off the bench.
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Tennessee Could Go Multiple Directions At The Four-Spot
The four-spot is most intriguing to me. Tennessee could feasibly continue starting two big men with one of DeWayne Brown or Braedan Lue starting beside Miles Rubin.
But Tennessee does not have much inside depth at the moment making it less likely that Rick Barnes would start two of his top post players beside one another.
At 6-foot-7, Jalen Haralson has the size to be a stretch-four. Haralson also has the athleticism. I do worry a bit about his rebounding after he posted just a 10.9% defensive rebound rate as a freshman at Notre Dame. The Vols need more rebounding than that at the four-spot.
Maybe it’s as simple as Haralson playing the four-spot on offense and Harris playing the four-spot on defense. Harris is more lean than Haralson but is also 6-foot-7 and posted a much better 17.6% defensive rebound rate.
Freshman Chris Washington Jr seems to be an unlikely candidate to start for Tennessee but he is 6-foot-9 and a great athlete. If he embraces defense and rebounding then Washington could provide valuable minutes at the four-spot.
Why Rubin Over Brown
This was the closest call for me as we enter the summer. Either Rubin or Brown starting would be no surprise to me. The sophomore Brown taking a big step forward and grabbing the starting job probably gives Tennessee its highest ceiling.
But Rubin, at 6-foot-10 and with 237 career blocked shots, feels like the safer bet here. Either way, these two are essentially co-starters entering the summer and Tennessee will heavily rely on both.
