2024 Transfer Portal Thread

#5,026
#5,026
VolOnthePlains said:
Fair enough, I guess my point is trying to frame the Okpara commitment as an upgrade on Aidoo doesn’t do him any favors in terms of expectations. If he can rebound and protect the rim and finish some lobs I’ll be happy.
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I think what most people are excited about, or me at least, with Okpara is the non dunks…what did both Jonas & Okpara shoot on non rim 2’s? You shared Okpara had 116 attempts at the rim, well on the year he only had 169 FGA, so almost everything is at the rim. Where many I think grew frustrated with Aidoo was the non rim stuff, outside of 8’ he seemed to shoot about 20% and that was a killer for us. Okpara doesn’t shoot that shot, so while he maybe doesn’t posses the ceiling Aidoo does, we’ve also never seen Aidoo actually be able to do it either, but we’ve seen it hurt us many times.
 
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#5,027
#5,027
VolOnthePlains said:
When I said limited I meant that from what I could tell Okpara’s offense consists primarily of catching and finishing at the rim, whereas Aidoo had developed a (admittedly inconsistent) midrange game in addition to the baby hook. Maybe Okpara gets there too, but it’s not certain.
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He has some moves in the post. The biggest thing I see on his tape is that he's very good at keeping the ball high in the post. He's also not afraid to go right at someone's chest. I'm fine with a 7-footer operating 10 feet and in, the attempted mid-range game is a negative for most of them and it was for Aidoo overall.
 
#5,028
#5,028
dknash said:
Anderson (or anyone taking what might be the 12th or 13th spot) also wouldn't play meaningful minutes this year unless he comes in looking like Knecht. Projection for 2025 and 2026 is all that matters, and if he doesn't seem to be on track, I would guess he transfers back down and no harm, no foul.

It's a no lose to me. It wouldn't make sense to me for us to allocate NIL resources beyond an 8 or 9 man rotation. Any starter-level pieces we add beyond Igor and Lanier also seem likely to push someone out that is already here, so it's not like we can stockpile.
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Bingo. Bring him in and worst case you realize in practice he can’t hack it at this level and he transfers, what did you lose?
 
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#5,029
#5,029
I'll just say this, Dubar is an upgrade to JJJ. Felix is an upgrade to Aidoo and/or Awaka.

Simply because they are here and the other players are not.

We should all want transfers to exceed previous players output, that's how an Elite Eight team becomes a Final Four one. Be excited for the potential we know we have great coaches for developing guys and we know our S&C program is elite. Every player that we bring in should be able to become a better player by being here.
 
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#5,030
#5,030
StPeteVFL said:
Agree to disagree. Unless College Basketball Scouting YouTube page is wrong. All he can do Is shoot. 26% shooting off the dribble which is in the 8th percentile nationally, and only 20% of his fga attempt come around the rim. So he’s really a one trick poney. You can’t just be relegated to only spot up shooting at the guard position and also be that weak in every other area of the game and play for Barnes in the SEC. What else does he does he do at a competent level other than spot up shooting?
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Your entire opinion is based on one season, his freshman season. What else does Jordan Gainey do exceptionally well? He played 18.4 minutes per game on maybe the best/deepest team in Tennessee history.

Why do you entirely dismiss the idea that Anderson can improve as a defender for one of the 5 best defensive coaches in America? Or why do you think he can't improve his rebounding with additional strength and a lesser primary offensive role in our offense?

No one is clamoring to add him as our primary target in the portal. If he doesn't pan out for some reason, it wouldn't cost us much.

And if all he became was a spot-up shooter, you act like there isn't room for a guy like that. Ask Oakland if they'd trade Jack Gohlke for anything this year. He attempted 8 2-pt FGs as an unathletic 6-3 guard. But he hit 137 3s at a 37.6% clip and knocked Kentucky out of the NCAAT almost single-handedly. He was the worst defender on that team and the worst rebounder.

Just stop acting like a kid who won ROY in his conference shooting 38% from 3 couldn't carve out a role because he isn't Jahmai Mashack on the defensive end or Tobe Awaka on the boards. There is room for improvement for a 19-year old kid willing to work his butt off.
 
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#5,031
#5,031
MoCo_Vol said:
I'll just say this, Dubar is an upgrade to JJJ. Felix is an upgrade to Aidoo and/or Awaka.

Simply because they are here and the other players are not.

We should all want transfers to exceed previous players output, that's how an Elite Eight team becomes a Final Four one. Be excited for the potential we know we have great coaches for developing guys and we know our S&C program is elite. Every player that we bring in should be able to become a better player by being here.
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That remains to be seen. We need to see him do it consistently at this level. I know we can point to games against HMs, but we can cherrypick JJJ games that show him as an All-SEC player. Can Dubar be that level consistently, because that was JJJ's biggest issue; consistency and staying healthy. If Dubar gives us 2023-24 JJJ numbers (8.4 pts, 6.4 rebs, 34% from 3), I think that is very passable. Anything beyond that for a guy coming from Hofstra would be overachieving for me.
 
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#5,032
#5,032
bleedingTNorange said:
I think what most people are excited about, or me at least, with Okpara is the non dunks…what did both Jonas & Okpara shoot on non rim 2’s? You shared Okpara had 116 attempts at the rim, well on the year he only had 169 FGA, so almost everything is at the rim. Where many I think grew frustrated with Aidoo was the non rim stuff, outside of 8’ he seemed to shoot about 20% and that was a killer for us. Okpara doesn’t shoot that shot, so while he maybe doesn’t posses the ceiling Aidoo does, we’ve also never seen Aidoo actually be able to do it either, but we’ve seen it hurt us many times.
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Aidoo was 49-129 (38%) from 2’s not at the rim compared to 18-47 (also 38%) for Okpara but I take your point about a low percentage shooter falling in love with the midrange. I think Okpara was the best possible option after Aidoo and Awaka bolted, I’m just being realistic about his ceiling as of today.
 
#5,034
#5,034
I really like the Okpara pickup! I think its better we stay with a near 7ft big man instead of say a 6'9 Awaka. Okpara has a good FG percebtage at 58%, so he knows his role and doesn't try to go outside himself. Looks very strong around the rim.

He will need to work on free throws a bit as well as staying out of foul trouble. But overall I think he will do well in our system with ZZ feeding him the ball.
 
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#5,035
#5,035
MoCo_Vol said:
I'll just say this, Dubar is an upgrade to JJJ. Felix is an upgrade to Aidoo and/or Awaka.

Simply because they are here and the other players are not.

We should all want transfers to exceed previous players output, that's how an Elite Eight team becomes a Final Four one. Be excited for the potential we know we have great coaches for developing guys and we know our S&C program is elite. Every player that we bring in should be able to become a better player by being here.
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I think Lanier + Dubar + Milicic can come pretty close to replicating the offense of Knecht + JJJ + Vescovi. Obviously none of the 3 new guys will score 21 points a game but I think maybe one of them can get 14 points a game and probably none of them as low as 6.3 from vescovi this past season.
 
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#5,037
#5,037
MoCo_Vol said:
Awaka would have thrived as a Vol had he came in with Admiral.

That group seemed very professional, Grant, Bone, Admiral, Kyle, Turner.... Bowden was a bit of a silly dude but not too much so.
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I don’t know. It’s hard to project how people are gonna mesh, and obv it’s more than serious vs goofy. For example I was at the school the same time that group was, and I can tell you that while say Jordan Bone was very serious like Awaka apparently is, it was not the same kind of serious and I very much doubt they’d have been best buddies

Regardless, I’m sad to see Awaka felt like a bit of an outcast on this team. It’s a reminder of me not to think too harshly on the guys that leave cause we never really know what’s going on. In any case, I think sophmore Estrella and junior Okpara are a really solid center duo
 
#5,039
#5,039
If all Okpara has to worry about is dunking, rebounding and blocking shots then I love the pick up. If we ever have to look to him for offensive production like we did with Aidoo then we’re in trouble - fortunately I don’t see that happening if Igor and Lanier jump in the boat.
 
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#5,040
#5,040
#5,041
#5,041
Vol49er said:
I don’t know. It’s hard to project how people are gonna mesh, and obv it’s more than serious vs goofy. For example I was at the school the same time that group was, and I can tell you that while say Jordan Bone was very serious like Awaka apparently is, it was not the same kind of serious and I very much doubt they’d have been best buddies

Regardless, I’m sad to see Awaka felt like a bit of an outcast on this team. It’s a reminder of me not to think too harshly on the guys that leave cause we never really know what’s going on. In any case, I think sophmore Estrella and junior Okpara are a really solid center duo
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But unless you're also at school with Awaka how can you even say that?

I'd also say I don't think Awaka felt like an outcast... but if he was more connected with DK and JJJ and those guys are also gone then probably best for him to see if a better fit is out there.
 
#5,042
#5,042
MoCo_Vol said:
But unless you're also at school with Awaka how can you even say that?

I'd also say I don't think Awaka felt like an outcast... but if he was more connected with DK and JJJ and those guys are also gone then probably best for him to see if a better fit is out there.
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I’m just basing that on the general feeling for the kind of guy Tobe is, but yes that impression could be wrong. Again we never really can tell from a distance
 
#5,043
#5,043
VolOnthePlains said:
This was my source, 9 feels like a lot of missed dunks in a season to me but I don’t know, maybe there’s some gray area of what the intended shot was going to be if it’s blocked while it’s still in his hands

barttorvik.com

Player Shooting Stats - Customizable College Basketball Tempo Free Stats - T-Rank

T-Rank College Basketball Ratings and Rankings. And fun.
barttorvik.com
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Feels like he had 9 blocked dunks just against UK.

I’m exaggerating but I’ve never seen a player misjudge an opportunity to dunk a ball more than Aidoo.

One possession he’ll pass up a dunk for a missed 2 foot wide open hook, then try and dunk from 6 feet out on 2 people the following possession.
 
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#5,044
#5,044
johnfnkelly said:
Feels like he had 9 blocked dunks just against UK.

I’m exaggerating but I’ve never seen a player misjudge an opportunity to dunk a ball more than Aidoo.

One possession he’ll pass up a dunk for a missed 2 foot wide open hook, then try and dunk from 6 feet out on 2 people the following possession.
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I don’t disagree, he could be incredibly frustrating, but usually because you could see how good he could be
 
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#5,045
#5,045
johnfnkelly said:
If all Okpara has to worry about is dunking, rebounding and blocking shots then I love the pick up. If we ever have to look to him for offensive production like we did with Aidoo then we’re in trouble - fortunately I don’t see that happening if Igor and Lanier jump in the boat.
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It seems like Aidoo's big offensive games this year was him rim running and getting a lot of lob dunks from ZZ or ZZ penetrating and dishing to him for a bunny/dunk. He had a point in the season where he moved away from taking 12-15 footers and went to the paint, and during that stretch he put up numbers. ZZ will create the same opportunities for Okpara, especially if we have shooters outside that will prevent double teams. That said, I doubt Okpara gets close to 10 shots a game.
 
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#5,047
#5,047
VolOnthePlains said:
Aidoo was 49-129 (38%) from 2’s not at the rim compared to 18-47 (also 38%) for Okpara but I take your point about a low percentage shooter falling in love with the midrange. I think Okpara was the best possible option after Aidoo and Awaka bolted, I’m just being realistic about his ceiling as of today.
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He progressed year 1 to year 2, I think his ceiling could absolutely be a 12/10 guy who blocks 3.5 shots a game and is SEC DPOY. Now I’m not saying that’s the expectation, but he’s got an incredibly high ceiling imo.
 
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#5,048
#5,048
tev.sm said:
Aidoo only averaged 5.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG on 50% FG percentage as a sophomore before having a breakout Junior year.

Okpara averaged 6.6 PPG, 6 RPG on 58% FG percentage as a sophomore.

Okpara could make the same strides as Aidoo going into his Junior year at TN, especially if we can utilize him inside. Given the offensive firepower CRB is planning to bring in, I doubt he’ll put up the same offensive numbers as Aidoo this season but will be able to protect the rim, rebound and give us additional possessions.
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don't forget FO played 5 minutes more than JA per game as sophomores, so given the same number of minutes their numbers would probably be pretty similar.
 
#5,050
#5,050
Godfatha said:
Sounds like a kid I wish we could have kept here. It does make sense with his effort on the court, that he would take things very seriously.
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Wish we’d offered him enough NIL to entice him back. His type of leadership (which is uncommon in young people) could be very valuable the next 2 seasons.
 
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