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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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Scouting Report. Forward. 534. Pick Analysis. Left early for NBA. Grant Williams. 1. player

This is no surprise. Grant Williams was Tennessee basketball’s best player for two years in a row and the Vols’ second best player his freshman year. He’s one of the greatest players in school history and could be in UT’s all-time starting five.

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After all, the guy averaged 18.8 points a game, and this past year he led the team in rebounding with seven and a half per game. Meanwhile, he was second on the team in assists with over three a game. So he was an all-around player and managed to make an impact every time the ball was in his hands. Rick Barnes made sure the offense went through him.

As a result, Williams, who left early for the NBA, is clearly a huge loss. He played big for his size at 6’7″, and some people may say that is as low as 6’5″. But his ability to stretch the floor with his good enough three-point shooting, going 32.6 percent from beyond the arc, and nearly automatic free throw shooting, going 81.9 percent from the foul line, make him a very elite talent.

The Boston Celtics will be successful with him, and it will show how much the Vols miss him. But one of the reasons UT will suffer without him is what we’ve already brought up. They have no proven inside talent right now. Kerry Blackshear Jr. not transferring to UT was a huge blow in the summer, and we already brought up the transfers of D.J. Burns and Derrick Walker.

10 years Vol basketball was better than football. dark. Next

So Barnes has to work his magic to figure out how to replace an elite inside game that went through Williams which then went through the whole offense. Tennessee basketball will have issues with that, and it’s why he is obviously the toughest guy to replace.

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