Prebyterian Postgame Report

[bleedingTNorange]

Quit stirring the pot with facts, Chris. Look, I was hoping Vescovi had a higher upside as far as shooting goes, but maybe not. He earns his minutes in other ways, but if he was a lethal shooter, it would certainly add another dimension.

Were you the one preseason questioning Santi’s quickness and ability to play at the SEC level, or was that someone else?

 

[cncchris33]

I would like to see Bailey drive toward the basket more instead of always settling for a 3 look and crash the boards harder.

He’s never been a rebounder. Never averaged over 2 rpg. He just isn’t going to be one. He is what he is, and when he’s on, there aren’t many better. Unfortunately, he’s only on once every 5 games, and he doesn’t know when to stop when he’s off. Being an effective driver would open up another dimension to his game, but he’s just unwilling to do it most nights.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I know what true shooting % is. He’s underperformed my hopes, but maybe he fits the slots for your expectations, and that’s okay.

Among the best shooters on the team, best rebounding guard, 2nd best assist man on the team…know you probably don’t want to hear this but he continues his play and he probably make an All-SEC team, if your expectations for him were higher than that maybe that’s on you?

 

[cardvolfan]

Were you the one preseason questioning Santi’s quickness and ability to play at the SEC level, or was that someone else?

I questioned his quickness and did say that most SEC guards were quicker. I never questioned his ability to play at an SEC level. I hoped he would shoot better.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Also, don’t mention that Chandler, ON, Fulky, Powell, BHH, and Zeigler all have a TSS better than Vescovi.

Thus why I said prior to last night.

 

[cardvolfan]

Among the best shooters on the team, best rebounding guard, 2nd best assist man on the team…know you probably don’t want to hear this but he continues his play and he probably make an All-SEC team, if your expectations for him were higher than that maybe that’s on you?

He very well might make an all-SEC team. I hope so, as it only makes us better. Love his hustle.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

It isn’t awful in a vacuum, no. For that matter, 3-10 is a 45% EFG%, but I’d imagine Barnes wouldn’t be pleased with Vescovi going out and shooting 4-12 or 3-10 from 3 every night.

33% from deep is easier to swallow when it comes on a 1-3 night, or even a 2-6 night. At some point, you have to figure that if you’re letting a guy pull the trigger from deep 10 to 12 times a game, he needs to consistently be hitting more than 33% of the time, because there are 6 or 8 missed opportunities within those 10 to 12 attempts.

If that were Bailey, we’d all be screaming at him to stop shooting.

Against Nova nobody wanted to shoot and a lot of those were forced, so I doubt Barnes had much of an issue with it…we can revisit Santi with a bigger sample size, he’s a career 37% shooter from deep and prior to last night looked like that’s what he would be or better, my guess is his 35% number goes up.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I questioned his quickness and did say that most SEC guards were quicker. I never questioned his ability to play at an SEC level. I hoped he would shoot better.

Gotcha, was thinking that was you…you had that take on him and I mentioned then that you seemed to have a preconceived opinion on him, that would seem even more true now as you’re trying to critique a guy who’s playing like an All-SEC 2 guard.

 

[cardvolfan]

Gotcha, was thinking that was you…you had that take on him and I mentioned then that you seemed to have a preconceived opinion on him, that would seem even more true now as you’re trying to critique a guy who’s playing like an All-SEC 2 guard.

Not doing a critique on anyone. I’m not qualified to do anything but state numbers that are there for anyone to see. He’s a great kid with lots of value, but not quite the shooter (yet) I hoped he might be.

 

[cncchris33]

Against Nova nobody wanted to shoot and a lot of those were forced, so I doubt Barnes had much of an issue with it…we can revisit Santi with a bigger sample size, he’s a career 37% shooter from deep and prior to last night looked like that’s what he would be or better, my guess is his 35% number goes up.

I didn’t say Barnes had an issue with it on that one occasion. I said he’d have an issue with is if it occurred every game, even if it translates to a respectable EFG%.

And I’m not trying to make any sort of case against Vescovi. I’m just pointing out that the positive perception in his level of play isn’t really supported by his 3-pt shooting percentage. It’s actually found in the idea that he no longer has the ball in his hands frustratingly trying to set up the offense, and instead, he’s able to create from the wing and use his basketball IQ to set up teammates off of drives and discovering craftier ways to score, himself. Less ball-handling for him leads to fewer TOs because he isn’t forced to make something happen.

So even if he stays around 37% from 3, he’s doing more than enough in other aspects, offensively, to warrant his time on the floor. And now his defense is up to par, as well.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Not doing a critique on anyone. I’m not qualified to do anything but state numbers that are there for anyone to see. He’s a great kid with lots of value, but not quite the shooter (yet) I hoped he might be.

Prior to last night he was 37% from 3, which is about exactly where I would expect him to be given the volume of shots…I’m not gonna just my opinion based on 1 game in a 6 sample size.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I didn’t say Barnes had an issue with it on that one occasion. I said he’d have an issue with is if it occurred every game, even if it translates to a respectable EFG%.

And I’m not trying to make any sort of case against Vescovi. I’m just pointing out that the positive perception in his level of play isn’t really supported by his 3-pt shooting percentage. It’s actually found in the idea that he no longer has the ball in his hands frustratingly trying to set up the offense, and instead, he’s able to create from the wing and use his basketball IQ to set up teammates off of drives and discovering craftier ways to score, himself. Less ball-handling for him leads to fewer TOs because he isn’t forced to make something happen.

So even if he stays around 37% from 3, he’s doing more than enough in other aspects, offensively, to warrant his time on the floor. And now his defense is up to par, as well.

And that’s fair….it started with saying Santi isn’t considered a great shooter, which I disagree/disagreed with, I think he is and I think his shooting is a focal point of opposing coaches in scouts.

 

[cncchris33]

And that’s fair….it started with saying Santi isn’t considered a great shooter, which I disagree/disagreed with, I think he is and I think his shooting is a focal point of opposing coaches in scouts.

I don’t disagree. I think he’s potentially a better shooter than what he’s shown, thus far. I think he is potentially even a 40% 3-pt shooter, especially in his new role off the ball.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I don’t disagree. I think he’s potentially a better shooter than what he’s shown, thus far. I think he is potentially even a 40% 3-pt shooter, especially in his new role off the ball.

If he stayed with just the open looks he’s getting off ball absolutely, Will Warren mentioned that he’s like a 45% open 3 shooter, but he’s also hunting his shot more this year and shooting some off the dribble more contested 3’s, so I would say that 37-39% is about what I would expect/hope for.

 

[Fullfillmer]

1. This was an odd game in which we blow out the opponent (86-44) and only get 12 points from our regular frontcourt rotation of Fulk, Nkamhoua, BHH, and Plavsic. 12 points on 5-10 shooting, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 71 combined minutes.

2. Point 1 can be partially explained by the fact that Presby certainly tried to clog the lane which is what opened up things on the perimeter, and they really never adjusted. Instead, they just continually dared us to beat them on the perimeter. We did beat them on some back-cuts and drives to the bucket by the guards (Vescovi and Chandler, specifically), but we never established a post presence.

3. Kennedy Chandler - 15 pts, 1 rebound, 7 assists, 7 steals, and 0 TOs. I feel increasingly comfortable saying that he is the best PG I've ever seen at Tennessee based on my own two eyes, but also in the fact that Barnes, notoriously difficult to please as a PG or a freshman...let alone both, has completely turned the team over to him. I think he is in that TJ Ford/DJ Augustine category. It seems like Barnes realizes he most likely only gets one year with him and it's better to let him make mistakes in November and December, play through them and learn from them, and then see improvement in January and February rather than try and play the long approach of benching him and working thru it over time. He didn't necessarily take that approach to Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer, though I'd probably call Chandler the most talented/ready to contribute at a high level, of the three. Can you imagine those three together?

4. Justin Powell and Victor Bailey played 39 combined minutes. Let's assume they were all at the same position, so 39 of 40 minutes. They shot a combined 9-14 (9-13 from 3) and scored 29 points, had 3 rebounds (all Powell), 4 assists (Powell 3, Bailey 1), 1 block (Powell), and only 1 TO (Bailey).

Now, you aren't going to get that kind of efficiency every game, but if you got 75% of it on average, you have one locked down position that you don't have to worry about. That is the benefit of having elite shooters and that is exactly why you bring in a Justin Powell. The people who were skeptical of his small sample size are going to be eating their words, over time, I believe. I was a big proponent of signing him and was over the moon when he committed, because that is the kind of stat line (15/3/3) I imagined from him. He can just affect the game in so many ways due to his shooting, size, and passing. Yeah, neither guy is really effective on defense, but as long as your other 4 are more than adequate, you can live with having one liability with room for improvement.

5. We forced 25 TOs, though Presby forced a lot of those on themselves...I've never seen so many unforced traveling calls. Chandler was credited with 7 steals and Tennessee had 13 as a team. We were smothering them, defensively and they got nothing easy. Granted, they aren't even on the same planet in terms of talent, but it was good to see us do what you should do to an opponent like that, which is completely dominate them from start to finish.

6. It was nice to see Jonas Aidoo come off the bench in garbage time and be effective. He only played 5 minutes, but had 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal. His bucket was a monstrous throwdown dunk and he would have had another rebound and dunk had Brock Jancek not have drawn a goal-tending call on a missed shot. He played angry and wasn't overthinking, perhaps due to the opponent and outcome. If Uros played that way, he'd warrant more playing time. He's just too much finesse around the basket for a guy his size, which is probably just the "euro" way of playing.

4. Powell will get better on defense - they all do under Barnes. It is one of the basic facts of life. You play for Barnes, you get better on defense or you enjoy your popcorn.
6. I got to the game early for a change and caught a few seconds of Aidoo go through the layup line and thought " Wait a minute ". I haven't seen him play - but man he looks the part. His ceiling could be crazy high.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

I only got to watch bits and pieces of the game last night, but in the limited amount I saw it pretty much re-confirmed how I mostly feel about this team.

1) Victor Bailey - This guy is maddening. For every solid night like tonight that he displays, it comes with about 3-4 abysmal or poor follow up performances. I was glad to see him step up a bit last night, but I still do not have confidence in giving him meaningful minutes against good teams. I want all of those to go to Powell if JJJ ever returns.

2) Justin Powell - Exactly what I was hoping for when we signed him. He won't got 5/5 from 3 every night, but he has such a pure shot. He seems to have improved other aspects of his game, too. And, unlike Bailey, I always see him playing hard no matter what. Bailey's effort seems to swing with his mood. If he has a poor night, he gives less. Not acceptable.

3) Uros Plavsic - I think it's fine to give him some playing time now, but the dude just isn't a P5 player. He is so slow, even for a 7-footer. He is essentially a black hole defensively and he offers very little on offense. I am very concerned if Barnes continues to give him solid minutes against good competition he will cost us a few games this year. BHH has a lot of room for growth, but really he should be getting more minutes in general, and most of those minutes should be coming from Uros.

 

[cardvolfan]

4. Powell will get better on defense - they all do under Barnes. It is one of the basic facts of life. You play for Barnes, you get better on defense or you enjoy your popcorn.
6. I got to the game early for a change and caught a few seconds of Aidoo go through the layup line and thought " Wait a minute ". I haven't seen him play - but man he looks the part. His ceiling could be crazy high.

It is very high. Mono did him great harm.

 

[Fullfillmer]

I only got to watch bits and pieces of the game last night, but in the limited amount I saw it pretty much re-confirmed how I mostly feel about this team.

1) Victor Bailey - This guy is maddening. For every solid night like tonight that he displays, it comes with about 3-4 abysmal or poor follow up performances. I was glad to see him step up a bit last night, but I still do not have confidence in giving him meaningful minutes against good teams. I want all of those to go to Powell if JJJ ever returns.

2) Justin Powell - Exactly what I was hoping for when we signed him. He won't got 5/5 from 3 every night, but he has such a pure shot. He seems to have improved other aspects of his game, too. And, unlike Bailey, I always see him playing hard no matter what. Bailey's effort seems to swing with his mood. If he has a poor night, he gives less. Not acceptable.

3) Uros Plavsic - I think it's fine to give him some playing time now, but the dude just isn't a P5 player. He is so slow, even for a 7-footer. He is essentially a black hole defensively and he offers very little on offense. I am very concerned if Barnes continues to give him solid minutes against good competition he will cost us a few games this year. BHH has a lot of room for growth, but really he should be getting more minutes in general, and most of those minutes should be coming from Uros.

Uros was actually a little quicker last night - he stumbled back into the old Uros a few times, but there were times when he was playing quicker than he has in the past.

 

[cardvolfan]

Uros was actually a little quicker last night - he stumbled back into the old Uros a few times, but there were times when he was playing quicker than he has in the past.

Not to sound like a prick, but what does playing quicker entail? I was there at the game, but only saw the Plavsic norm. Can you be specific?

 

[walkenvol]

Quit stirring the pot with facts, Chris. Look, I was hoping Vescovi had a higher upside as far as shooting goes, but maybe not. He earns his minutes in other ways, but if he was a lethal shooter, it would certainly add another dimension.

I’m with you on SV’s shooting as I would have thought it was higher without seeing the data. Seems like he gets a lot of good looks from 3 and I almost always expect them to fall. Strikes me that he’s shooting a bit much right now but obviously CRB is good with it. I expect his percentage to rise throughout the season.

 

[walkenvol]

He’s never been a rebounder. Never averaged over 2 rpg. He just isn’t going to be one. He is what he is, and when he’s on, there aren’t many better. Unfortunately, he’s only on once every 5 games, and he doesn’t know when to stop when he’s off. Being an effective driver would open up another dimension to his game, but he’s just unwilling to do it most nights.

Seems like he back rims dunks too often when he does drive

 

[Fullfillmer]

Not to sound like a prick, but what does playing quicker entail? I was there at the game, but only saw the Plavsic norm. Can you be specific?

He was closing on his man defensively quicker - and doing a better, quicker job overall on the defensive end. He switched a couple of times onto forwards or guards and was able to not get abused. He stayed in front of his new or his
old guy and didn't jump 5 seconds after the guy he was guarding returned to the floor after scoring. I don't focus on his play - just an observation that he wasn't out of place on the defensive end. He kept the same tempo as the other
four guys defensively. You can check the plus minus for when he was in there - but if given the option of improved, stayed the same, or seemed worse on defense - my vote would be improved.

 

[Fullfillmer]

I’m with you on SV’s shooting as I would have thought it was higher without seeing the data. Seems like he gets a lot of good looks from 3 and I almost always expect them to fall. Strikes me that he’s shooting a bit much right now but obviously CRB is good with it. I expect his percentage to rise throughout the season.

I hate to say it but I think SV is taking too much time on his 3's. It needs to be more instinctual and less focus, ***us, focus, shoot.

 

[cardvolfan]

He was closing on his man defensively quicker - and doing a better, quicker job overall on the defensive end. He switched a couple of times onto forwards or guards and was able to not get abused. He stayed in front of his new or his
old guy and didn't jump 5 seconds after the guy he was guarding returned to the floor after scoring. I don't focus on his play - just an observation that he wasn't out of place on the defensive end. He kept the same tempo as the other
four guys defensively. You can check the plus minus for when he was in there - but if given the option of improved, stayed the same, or seemed worse on defense - my vote would be improved.

Good stuff. Thanks.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

Uros was actually a little quicker last night - he stumbled back into the old Uros a few times, but there were times when he was playing quicker than he has in the past.

He plays too small for a 7 footer IMO.