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Tennessee basketball: Turner and Bowden need to play big next season

By Billy Williford

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers steals the ball from Tucker Richardson #15 of the Colgate Raiders during the second half in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers steals the ball from Tucker Richardson #15 of the Colgate Raiders during the second half in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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The Tennessee basketball team will be under a lot of transition next season. Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden need to play huge for the Vols to have success.

The Tennessee basketball team could potentially lose four starters from last year’s 31-win squad if Jordan Bone stays in the 2019 NBA Draft. What will the Vols look like? Where will the scoring come from?

Tennessee’s recruiting class took shape, and it turns out there is a lot of unknown talent. I think we all expect Josiah-Jordan James, who is ranked 28th in the nation according to 247Sports, to contribute a lot.

However, there are two players who Tennessee needs to play big to have success, and that is Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden.

Over the last five games of the season, Turner and Bowden appeared in the lineup that Rick Barnes used 25 percent of the time. The Vols went 3-2 in those five games with losses to Auburn and Purdue, but Turner and Bowden played well.

Both guys are scorers and can fill it up quickly. However, Tennessee needs Turner to reign in the shot selection to keep the offense flowing. Last season, Turner shot 32 percent from deep. The percentage increased to 34.5 percent in wins but dropped to an abysmal 25.6 percent in losses.

This wasn’t because Turner was in a shooting slump; it’s merely because he was forcing shots and not letting the offense come to him. The Vols need Turner to play smarter and take smarter shot in order to have a successful season.

Jordan Bowden, on the other hand, was somewhat consistent last season averaging 10.6 points per game. Bowden connected on 37.7 percent of his three-point attempts last season while maintaining a 37.5 percent during wins. Interesting enough, Bowden’s deep range percent went up to 39.1 percent in the six losses.

Next. Vols would be the perfect dynasty team on new game. dark

With the departures of Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield, Jordan Bone, and Kyle Alexander, the Vols lose 56.1 points per game. Turner and Bowden have to be more consistent from deep to help Tennessee’s offense work. Can they do it? They have in the past, and as seniors, I believe you’re looking at one of the best backcourts in the SEC.

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