Is Awaka the next Grant?

#1
V

Vols till I fall

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#1
Haven't heard much about Awaka lately besides a really good article written by Grant Ramey

Hearing that he's very physical and is hitting the gym hard. He doesn't even realize how strong he is

Led EYBL in rebounding

I could be very wrong, by this guy seems to have all the hallmarks to be our next Williams
 
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#2
#2
I watched some of the practice highlights, and he really jumps out to me. He has an incredible build to him for a freshman. He's not super tall, but he's looks impressive physically. Has a nice vertical burst when dunking off vertical. He reminds me more of a Jarnell Stokes type player with his rebounding and mostly below the basket type scoring, and even his build. I certainly need to watch more film of him, but I wouldn't be super surprised to see him carve out a small role this year just because he seems to be such a great rebounder, and that is something that has ailed us in the past.
 
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#5
#5
bleedingTNorange said:
If you mean SEC All-Freshman Team and averaging 25mpg 13ppg 6rpg, no, I don’t think he will even be close to anything like that.
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Right. You could put a decimal in those numbers and I'm not sure you'd comfortably take the over.

Grant Williams arrived at Tennessee at a perfect time to make an immediate impact. There was no form, no set lineup, not ideas or expectations. He basically rose to the top of a pile of players that no one outside of the staff really knew anything about. The pecking order sort of established itself from there, and began the hierarchy of talent we still see, today. Awaka is currently near the bottom of that totem pole, but he has the ability to rise up over time. It just isn't going to be a case of him becoming our go-to player as a freshman like it did for Williams. Unlike then, there is just too much talent on the floor that will prevent him from the opportunity unless we suffer extensive injuries.
 
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#10
#10
In a couple of years if he sticks around, sure. He may never touch two time player of the year, and will probably never have the impact Grant had, but he could be a similar type player.
 
#11
#11
cncchris33 said:
Right. You could put a decimal in those numbers and I'm not sure you'd comfortably take the over.

Grant Williams arrived at Tennessee at a perfect time to make an immediate impact. There was no form, no set lineup, not ideas or expectations. He basically rose to the top of a pile of players that no one outside of the staff really knew anything about. The pecking order sort of established itself from there, and began the hierarchy of talent we still see, today. Awaka is currently near the bottom of that totem pole, but he has the ability to rise up over time. It just isn't going to be a case of him becoming our go-to player as a freshman like it did for Williams. Unlike then, there is just too much talent on the floor that will prevent him from the opportunity unless we suffer extensive injuries.
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I think Awaka will get 6 to 8 minutes of playing time as the season rolls along and he will have a bigger impact in 2024 when Nkamhoua has graduated.
 
#12
#12
Volfan1000 said:
I think Awaka will get 6 to 8 minutes of playing time as the season rolls along and he will have a bigger impact in 2024 when Nkamhoua has graduated.
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Sure, I believe he has a future at Tennessee if he sticks it out. I really like him and advocated for us taking him. I just don't believe he's going to have the same early impact as GW did. Even 6-8 mpg seems optimistic, to me. But who knows. I will say that I think he'll have to prove that he deserves that kind of run before the calendar flips to January. The rotation usually tightens up rather than expands as the season progresses unless we have some injuries.
 
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#13
#13
He is not a freshman Grant Williams. More like a quicker Kyle Alexander.

I think his offense skills limit his number of minutes on the floor ... this year. I am pulling a number out of a hat and guessing 4 mpg.
I do not see him on the floor during small ball.
His best opportunity will come when there is foul trouble at the 4/5.
At the 5 ... He will be playing behind Uros, Aidoo, and whoever they have for small ball in the 5.
That does not leave a lot of room for minutes.
At the 4 ... He will be playing behind JJJ, ON, and Phillips.
That does not leave a lot of room for minutes.

ps. I hope I am terribly wrong and he has a banner year, because they shaped his talents into a sword in short order.
 
#14
#14
Hopefully Awaka red shirts as there’s not much opportunities for him to find minutes on this roster. If ON and UP leave it really opens up post minutes for next year. Was it ever confirmed whether a player can red shirt and still play in under 30% of the games like in football?
 
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