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Tennessee basketball: Ranking toughest Vols to replace for 2019-2020

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 29: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers and Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the bench during the second half of the game between the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 29, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 96-53. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 29: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers and Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the bench during the second half of the game between the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 29, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 96-53. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images /

534. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Left early for NBA. player. Guard. Jordan Bone. 2

We mentioned Lamonte Turner and Josiah-Jordan James on the last slide. Both are combo guards. Turner has proven he can score at will, and James is a five-star guard specifically for his consistent abilities to play both spots at combo guard. However, neither has proven an ability to handle the point guard duties at the college level.

That’s where Jordan Bone is a huge loss for Tennessee basketball. He probably has the most potential of anybody in the NBA while playing in the Detroit Pistons’ system. Last year, he was a veteran who showed more athleticism than even Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook.

Related Story. Five preseason storylines for 2019-2020 Vols. light

Not only did Bone average nearly six assists a game, but he only had two turnovers a game despite playing more minutes than anybody else. On top of that, he also showed his combo guard abilities, as he led all guards in scoring by averaging 13.5 points a game, shooting 35.5 percent from the three-point line and being almost automatic from the foul line at 83.5 percent.

As a result, he’s a critical loss for Rocky Top. A legitimate criticism of Rick Barnes is that he underused Bone, and Turner’s inconsistency at running the point showed the issues the Vols had beyond Bone at point guard. Arguably their best chance is Oregon Ducks transfer Victor Bailey Jr., but he’s not good to go until next year. So Barnes has his work cut out for him here.

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