Tennessee basketball: Five ways Vols can offset Jaden Springer turning pro

2. Santiago Vescovi moves to two guard with Kennedy Chandler arrival

Since the midway point of the 2019-2020 season, Santiago Vescovi has been thrown to the wolves and had to develop playing point guard for Tennessee basketball on the fly. The lack of offseason from his freshman to sophomore year didn’t help with that development the way it usually did due to COVID.

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However, Vescovi has proven himself in one area, and that’s three-point shooting. He’s shooting 36.8 percent from the field, nailing nearly two three-pointers a game. As an 81.2 percent free throw shooter and standing at 6’3″ 188 pounds, Rick Barnes could focus on turning him more into a full-time scorer or just a spot-up shooter.

Remember, the Vols have a five-star point guard in Kennedy Chandler joining the team next year. Chandler could take over the one, and Vescovi could move to the two or three and add more of an offensive threat, particularly if he focuses on being a three-point specialist. He already has solid handles, so he could drive to the basket more too.

If nobody else emerges at point guard, then Vescovi or Josiah-Jordan James could slide over to the one when Chandler needs a breather. All of this would help offset the offensive production lost with Jaden Springer’s departure.