Tennessee basketball: Ranking Vols by importance in NCAA Tournament

Tier 4: Rotational backups

10. Jalen Johnson

Jalen Johnson has probably not seen the minutes many of us expected to see from him this year. But that’s only because how deep Tennessee basketball is among scoring guards. At 6’6″, Johnson can still get hot and provide quick scoring off the bench if the Vols ever get in foul trouble or need some immediate help. He’s a big threat from the outside, shooting 45 percent on 20 attempts this season. So keep an eye on him.

9. Derrick Walker

Derrick Walker, like Johnson, has only seen sporadic minutes this year. It’s probably a stretch to put them in the same tier as the next two bench guys we’re about to name. However, if the Vols get in foul trouble or get tired, both are desperately needed. So they’re still important. And Walker is an even bigger deal with his 6’8′ frame. The Vols don’t have a ton of players with length, so he can come in and get you valuable minutes.

8. John Fulkerson

Of all the players necessary to provide length off the bench, John Fulkerson is going to be the most important post guy. He can’t be a starter, but he has to be able to come in and give the big men breathers. This year, not having to fight back from an injury, he has shown much more value in doing that. After all, he’s averaging over two points and nearly three rebounds in just 12 minutes of action per game, and at 6’9″, you have to account for him.

7. Yves Pons

Two years in, Yves Pons is still raw. But he’s highly athletic and provides solid length himself. Pons could actually play the two, the three or the four, so he has the most versatility of anybody on the bench, and he is averaging nearly two rebounds a game and about two and a half points a game in 12 and a half minutes. Overall, Fulkerson has given more production on the year. But Pons’s versatility and the Vols’ new proven ability to go small at times props him up as the top guy in this tier.