Tennessee basketball: Yves Pons lands in best NBA spot among Vols

Although there are more guarantees that come with being drafted higher in any sport, sometimes it’s worth the risk to sacrifice those guarantees for being in a better long-term position. Former Tennessee basketball forward Yves Pons may have found himself in that situation.

While former Vols Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer were taken in the first round of the NBA Draft Pons went undrafted. However, the former SEC Player of the Year is expected to sign a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Pons is the only Tennessee basketball player who wasn’t a one-and-done in the NBA Draft, as he just completed his senior year. Johnson went to the New York Knicks as the 21st pick and was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Springer went to the Philadelphia 76ers as the 28th pick. ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski revealed the news about Pons on Twitter.

Although Johnson and Springer both have the potential to be key players early, Pons is the one who has the style of play that the team he landed with is looking for the most. Memphis has been desperate to find a defensive specialist on the wing for a while.

Right now, Kyle Anderson occupies the wing, and he’s a smart, efficient player who can be a threat offensively. However, he’s very unathletic, and there’s only one year left on his contract anyway. As a result, the Griz need more consistent help there.

More from All for Tennessee

• How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
• Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
• Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
• Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
• Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay

In the draft itself, Ziaire Williams went 10th overall to the New Orleans Pelicans, but he will land in Memphis as part of a pre-draft trade, as Trey Murphy III, who went 17th to the Grizzlies, will land in New Orleans. Williams, like Pons, is a wing who specializes on defense.

What’s underrated, though, is how much more seasoned Pons is than Williams at the moment despite Williams being taller at 6’8″ and having more upside. During his one college season with the Stanford Cardinal, Williams shot 37.4 percent from the field and 29.1 percent from the three-point line. That makes him too much of an offensive liability despite his defense.

Now, Williams may be able to develop long-term, but Pons is already there. Despite only being 6’6″ 215 pounds, he is ridiculously athletic, and he won SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2019-2020 for a reason. He averaged three times as many blocks per game last year as Williams and almost as many steals, proving him to be even better defensively.

More importantly, though, Pons isn’t as much of a liability offensively anymore. Given the way he developed under Barnes, he became a reliably efficient scorer, shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 78.9 percent from the free throw line last year. Now, he did shoot just 27.4 percent from the three-point line, but he was 34.9 percent the year before with more attempts.

Simply put, Pons has already proven his three-point shot is there if he can remain consistent. Taking that into account, even as an undrafted player, he’s probably the most likely to make an early impact among all three Tennessee basketball players who landed with teams during the NBA Draft. He’ll never be a superstar, but he’s already in position to be a valuable role player.