Tennessee has had an offseason that's nothing short of being superb, with the Vols completely rebuilding the roster with Transfer Portal talent. This year's team looks like it can finally break the streak of losing in the Elite Eight.
Tennessee's projected lineup with Juke Harris has first Final Four written all over it
While there isn't much to dislike, let's take a look at three concerns Rick Barnes should have about this Tennessee team heading into the summer.
1. Team chemistry
Tennessee has a ton of talent, but this isn’t a group that’s been through battles together. It’s basically 13 new players, so chemistry is going to take time. I wouldn’t be shocked if they drop a couple of non-conference games early in the season just because they’re still learning each other's playstyles and where they'll be, etc. I'm not suggesting this team won't mesh well, but if they don't, things can go bad quickly.
While this team has some of the most talent in the country, they need to bond and become a family.
2. Post scoring
Tennesse added two solid front-court players in Miles Rubin and Braedan Lue, but neither is going to be a great post scorer. While JP Estrella and Jaylen Carey had their struggles at times, they did provide Tennessee with a ton of second-chance points. Rubin and Lue are great defenders and solid rebounders, but I'm not sure if they will replicate the scoring that we got last year from the Tennessee big men.
While scoring on the perimeter will be much better than last season, Tennessee's identity under Barnes has always been high-low actions, so I can't imagine he will just abandon the low post. Developing Rubin, Lue, and DeWayne Brown II's scoring down low will be huge.
3. Perimter defense
The biggest change this offseason for the Vols was the lack of perimeter defense additions. While Rubin, Lue, and Brown will help protect the paint, perimeter defense remains a serious concern. Tennessee will be much better offensively on the offensive end, but the question is whether they can defend the three-point line. It seems like every guard they added is serviceable defensively, but they don’t have a true perimeter defensive anchor like Bishop Boswell or Amari Evans had last season. This could come back to bite them down the road if they don't have someone to lock down their opponent's star player.
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