Tennessee basketball: Five preseason storylines for 2019-2020 Vols

5. Which veterans can provide depth?

Last year, depth was already an issue. Tennessee basketball could only consistently go six-deep, and Rick Barnes has lost four of those guys. Heading into this season, he needs some of his returning veterans to take another step so they can provide depth for the Vols and keep a consistent rotation going.

On the inside, they have Zach Kent and John Fulkerson. Kent only played two games last year and is a redshirt sophomore at 6’11” 235 pounds. However, Fulkerson is a redshirt junior at 6’9″ 212 pounds and has seen significant action at times since his freshman year before his season-ending injury. He even started in place of an injured Kyle Alexander in an NCAA Tournament game.

Jalen Johnson, a 6’6″ 196-pound redshirt junior guard, for instance, has seen between five and six minutes a game each of the last two years. Can he emerge as a reliable wing player or two-guard who can provide quick scoring off the bench?

The face of the veterans looking to take a major step forward is Yves Pons. He was once a four-star recruit from France. The 6’6″ 215-pound junior is ridiculously athletic and could alternate between a three and a four at times. He upped his average from over five minutes to just under 12 minutes from his first to his second year.

This offseason, Pons played with the U20 French National Team and then competed in the FIBA U20 European Championships July 13-21 in Israel. So he should have developed even more, and if he can show that on the court, he could be deadly. Pons is the most versatile veteran and should be competing for a starting role. But Johnson and the inside guys are also important.