- Joined
- Jul 7, 2008
- Messages
- 89,296
- Likes
- 37,832
The season isn't over, but I've got time on my hands with Spring Break, and I've decided to do player grades for the whole season. Let's get started.
PG Trae Golden- B
Review: Trae started off hot, but during OOC play he struggled. He had a lot of turnovers, and was not aggressive. But during Conference play he was pretty good. In his last nine games, he averaged 15 ppg and 4.3 apg, and scored double digits in all those nine games. He's one of the best shooters in the SEC. His slash line 44.7/39.0/85.3, and was in the top 20 in true shooting percentage and effective field goal percentage. He struggled with turnovers, and has to cut those down. He was the second best player all year in his second year as a point guard and was more consistent later on the year. Good year for Trae.
SG Skylar McBee- B-
Review: Skylar doubled his point production, improved his defense, and averaged less than a turnover a game despite playing 20 minutes a game this year. The problem was inconsistency. He shot 39% from 3, but it was up and down, especially lately where he averaged less than 3 ppg. But he improved and he did a good job stretching the D. Overall, a pretty decent year for Skylar.
SF Cam Tatum- C+
Review: It might seem hard on Cam, but for a senior his inconsistency really hurt. He did well on defense, but he was below average on offense, with a below average true shooting percentage (42.0) and effective field goal percentage (37.5). He did a good job rebounding at 4 a game. Overall, with Cam we needed more offensive consistency, and he didn't provide it, but should be applauded for his much better defense, and improved his FT% by 10 this year.
PF Jeronne Maymon- A-
Review: Jeronne was incredible and might get most improved player in the SEC if they gave one. He was fantastic at getting to the line, with the top free throw rate in the conference, and was top 15 in effective and true shooting percentage. His rebounding rate was fantastic at top 10 in the SEC, and he was top in FG%. His FT% improved by 40, and his one-on-one defense was underrated. He needs to cut down on turnovers, but not much more you can ask from Maymon. He was the most consistent Vol and is the MVP of the team.
C Jarnell Stokes- A
Review: Not much you can ask more from Jarnell. He was top 10 in FG%, rebounding, and was top five in both defensive and offensive rebounding percentage. His one-on-one D was fantastic, and outplayed four first round picks this season. His work ethic was contagious and he gave UT hope for the year and made UT a legitimate player in the SEC. He has to be quicker when he gets the ball in the post and improve his free throw percentage. But Jarnell has All-American potential, and is going to be UT's best player next year.
G- Jordan McRae- B-
Review: Jordan was the most inconsistent Vol, but still provided a lot of good. Despite his inconsistency, he was top 30 in effective and true shooting percentage, not bad for a guard. His D was horrid at the start, but was better, as evidenced when he guarded John Jenkins Saturday. He cut down his turnovers during the year, and became a lethal sixth man for the Vols. For half the SEC year, Jordan was actually UT's third best scorer. Jordan has work to do on his game, but he got better and his defense improved greatly. He was bad last year, and this year should get consideration for 6th man of the year.
G- Josh Richardson- B-
Review: Josh came in and was UT's best perimeter defender, giving Michael Kidd-Gilchrist everything he could handle in the first game and contained Jeremy Lamb. Josh is weak offensively, especially shooting with 34.1% and 27.6% on field goals and three pointers respectively. Despite that, Josh has a nice mid range jumper, and did a good job knowing his role and playing good defense. I expect a good career from Josh.
F- Kenny Hall- C
Review: Quite frankly, I was disappointed with Kenny. He was inconsistent, and offensively was disappointing. He was lazy on the boards and hurt the team when we has suspended. He did a pretty good job defensively, and did provide good size. I'm not sure what Kenny's future hold, but he definitely has to improve in a lot of facets of his game and lost his starting job permanently.
F- Yemi Makanjoula- B-
Review: I expected nothing from Yemi this year, so this is why this is a B-. He looks lost offensively, but shot 65%, and knew his limitations. He's raw, but had decent defense this year one-on-one and got better on pick and rolls. He's also a decent rebounder. In only 8 mpg, he averaged 2.6 rebounds. Give him 24 minutes a game, and that 8 rpg. Overall, he's very raw, but he's going to be a solid contributor here.
PG Trae Golden- B
Review: Trae started off hot, but during OOC play he struggled. He had a lot of turnovers, and was not aggressive. But during Conference play he was pretty good. In his last nine games, he averaged 15 ppg and 4.3 apg, and scored double digits in all those nine games. He's one of the best shooters in the SEC. His slash line 44.7/39.0/85.3, and was in the top 20 in true shooting percentage and effective field goal percentage. He struggled with turnovers, and has to cut those down. He was the second best player all year in his second year as a point guard and was more consistent later on the year. Good year for Trae.
SG Skylar McBee- B-
Review: Skylar doubled his point production, improved his defense, and averaged less than a turnover a game despite playing 20 minutes a game this year. The problem was inconsistency. He shot 39% from 3, but it was up and down, especially lately where he averaged less than 3 ppg. But he improved and he did a good job stretching the D. Overall, a pretty decent year for Skylar.
SF Cam Tatum- C+
Review: It might seem hard on Cam, but for a senior his inconsistency really hurt. He did well on defense, but he was below average on offense, with a below average true shooting percentage (42.0) and effective field goal percentage (37.5). He did a good job rebounding at 4 a game. Overall, with Cam we needed more offensive consistency, and he didn't provide it, but should be applauded for his much better defense, and improved his FT% by 10 this year.
PF Jeronne Maymon- A-
Review: Jeronne was incredible and might get most improved player in the SEC if they gave one. He was fantastic at getting to the line, with the top free throw rate in the conference, and was top 15 in effective and true shooting percentage. His rebounding rate was fantastic at top 10 in the SEC, and he was top in FG%. His FT% improved by 40, and his one-on-one defense was underrated. He needs to cut down on turnovers, but not much more you can ask from Maymon. He was the most consistent Vol and is the MVP of the team.
C Jarnell Stokes- A
Review: Not much you can ask more from Jarnell. He was top 10 in FG%, rebounding, and was top five in both defensive and offensive rebounding percentage. His one-on-one D was fantastic, and outplayed four first round picks this season. His work ethic was contagious and he gave UT hope for the year and made UT a legitimate player in the SEC. He has to be quicker when he gets the ball in the post and improve his free throw percentage. But Jarnell has All-American potential, and is going to be UT's best player next year.
G- Jordan McRae- B-
Review: Jordan was the most inconsistent Vol, but still provided a lot of good. Despite his inconsistency, he was top 30 in effective and true shooting percentage, not bad for a guard. His D was horrid at the start, but was better, as evidenced when he guarded John Jenkins Saturday. He cut down his turnovers during the year, and became a lethal sixth man for the Vols. For half the SEC year, Jordan was actually UT's third best scorer. Jordan has work to do on his game, but he got better and his defense improved greatly. He was bad last year, and this year should get consideration for 6th man of the year.
G- Josh Richardson- B-
Review: Josh came in and was UT's best perimeter defender, giving Michael Kidd-Gilchrist everything he could handle in the first game and contained Jeremy Lamb. Josh is weak offensively, especially shooting with 34.1% and 27.6% on field goals and three pointers respectively. Despite that, Josh has a nice mid range jumper, and did a good job knowing his role and playing good defense. I expect a good career from Josh.
F- Kenny Hall- C
Review: Quite frankly, I was disappointed with Kenny. He was inconsistent, and offensively was disappointing. He was lazy on the boards and hurt the team when we has suspended. He did a pretty good job defensively, and did provide good size. I'm not sure what Kenny's future hold, but he definitely has to improve in a lot of facets of his game and lost his starting job permanently.
F- Yemi Makanjoula- B-
Review: I expected nothing from Yemi this year, so this is why this is a B-. He looks lost offensively, but shot 65%, and knew his limitations. He's raw, but had decent defense this year one-on-one and got better on pick and rolls. He's also a decent rebounder. In only 8 mpg, he averaged 2.6 rebounds. Give him 24 minutes a game, and that 8 rpg. Overall, he's very raw, but he's going to be a solid contributor here.
