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Tennessee basketball has no weaknesses with John Fulkerson healthy

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee forward John Fulkerson (10) is fouled by ETSU forward Ty Brewer (14) in the NCAA college basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the ETSU Buccaneers in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, November 14, 2021.Kns Vols Hoops Etsu
Tennessee forward John Fulkerson (10) is fouled by ETSU forward Ty Brewer (14) in the NCAA college basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the ETSU Buccaneers in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, November 14, 2021.Kns Vols Hoops Etsu /
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Beyond the slow starts, there was one concern surrounding Tennessee basketball after their opener last week. With John Fulkerson out, Olivier Nkamhoua struggled to defend the interior, and Yves Pons’ absence was clear.

Fulkerson came back Sunday, though, and he and Nkamhoua accepted the challenge of proving they could dominate the post on defense against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers without Pons. ETSU’s two post players, Silas Adheke and Ty Brewer, combined for five points.

Three more players taller than 6’6″ came off the bench to help the Bucs, and they also combined for five points. Meanwhile, Nkamhoua once again dominated the paint with 23 points, taking pressure off Fulkerson, who still had two blocks in his return. What does this all mean? Well, it means Tennessee basketball is a complete team now.

The Vols have better three-point shooting than they have had in years thanks to guys like Santiago Vescovi, Justin Powell and Victor Bailey Jr., and the team hit another 10 on Sunday. They have perimeter defense, proven with 14 steals against ETSU, largely thanks to Josiah-Jordan James arguably being the best perimeter in the SEC.

Depth is also a big deal, as Brandon Huntley-Hatfield is still a five-star stretch four with potential, Uros Plavsic is still a seven-footer, and Jahmai Mashack is a four-star recruit who can play the wing. Zakai Zeigler, Quentin Diboundje and Jonas Aidoo are still there as well.

Then you go to the bonafide superstar on the Vols. Rick Barnes seems to finally have the one-and-done freshman phenom who fits perfectly into his rotation. Kennedy Chandler is not only making a case early on for All-American hype. He’s also filling a major void that existed at point guard, scoring 16 points and picking up five assists with three steals vs. ETSU.

Simply put, everything experts say is needed to win a national title, Tennessee basketball has. They have length, experience, depth, three-point shooting, defense and star power. This may be Rick Barnes’ most complete team since arriving on Rocky Top.

The 2018-2019 team was one of overachievers who benefitted from experience and development. However, they played a specific inside-out style of basketball with everything going through Grant Williams.

Now, Barnes can design offenses that can go through so many different players. He can still play inside-out with Fulkerson and Nkhamoua, especially if Huntley-Hatfield continues to develop, thanks to the three-point shooting to take pressure off of them. The dribble-drive is also on the table with Chandler. A focus on transition buckets with Chandler and James is there.

Fulkerson’s return Sunday showed just how elite Tennessee basketball could be. Don’t forget the experience either. Although they have lots of talented freshmen, six of their main rotational players are at least in their third year with the program. Although that’s not quite like 2018-2019, when they had seven players like that, it’s close. Add in the talent, and this team is loaded.

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