Tennessee basketball 2022-23 preview: Vols’ backcourt
Final take
Vol basketball's 2022-23 preview: Frontcourt. light. Related Story
The biggest question as to whether or not Tennessee basketball can offset Kennedy Chandler actually goes to the frontcourt and what Julian Phillips can do. He’s that one-and-done star this year, making it clear that Rick Barnes is going to switch up his rotation. However, the Vols are still pretty stacked at guard.
Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi playing next to each other will be the biggest benefit any team in the SEC could ask for. You can’t replace that type of experience, and doing it while developing in Barnes’ system puts their potential through the roof. It’s the strongest part of the backcourt by a mile.
However, Zakai Zeigler still being there can easily replace Kennedy Chandler and become the full-time point guard. He’s guaranteed to be fine too, and provided these three are healthy, if they are the three starters, the Vols could easily have the best and most disciplined guard play in the SEC.
Next. Projecting Vols' 2022-23 starting lineup. dark
Questions surround the depth, but Tennessee basketball has four players who either are high-profile transfers with experience or were four-star recruits. One is a four-star recruit with experience in Barnes’ system. That gives the Vols plenty of options and flexibility at guard, so even without Chandler, they should be fine this year.