Tennessee Basketball: An in-depth look at Volunteers 2020-21 roster
John Fulkerson – 6’9” Senior Power Forward
Last season, Fulkerson appeared in all 31 games, and led the team in scoring (13.7), rebounding (5.9), and steals (1.1), while playing over 30 minutes a game.
Fulkerson was relied on heavily last season for post scoring, and I think that it’s safe to say that he delivered time and time again. He is a big that you would hate to match up against for a full game, because he is guaranteed to frustrate you as a defender, regardless of how many times you are able to stop him. That concept may seem strange at first, considering the fact that defenders usually feel pretty good about themselves after locking down a talented player, but when that player continues to attack you and wear you down, your mood will begin to change rapidly.
That is exactly what Fulkerson is able to do, and if a defender makes a nice play on the ball one possession, and blocks his shot, he is determined to go right back at them on the next possession and make the necessary adjustments. I think that Fulkerson is a player who is so tough to shut down consistently because he manages to successfully seal off his man, and catch the ball deep in the paint. Additionally, he is a lethal back to the basket and face-up post player, which allows him to score in a variety of ways.
When he has his back to the basket, he does a great job of taking a few seconds to feel his defenders out, and seeing if he is going against a big that is physical, or a big that doesn’t give much resistance in the post. He loves to catch the ball on the left block, take a few dribbles to his right, swiftly drop step to his right, and glance quickly at his defender, before deciding to go up with the ball.
His drop-step is elite because he always makes sure that he makes contact with his defenders, and executes the move with aggression. This way, he doesn’t have to worry about ending up farther away from the basket than he anticipated. Essentially, he is able to get from point A to Point B, by simply refusing to veer off his path.
Furthermore, when he sees that he doesn’t have the greatest angle after completing the drop step, or his defender is a little too anxious to rise up and block his shot, he will pump fake, get them up in the air, absorb the concept, power up, and try to get the basket and the foul. When defenders force him to switch things up, it is no big deal for Fulkerson, because he has no problem catching the ball on either block, taking a few dribbles to his right or left, turning forcefully to the middle of the paint, and elevating for a nice-looking jump hook.
His face-up game works just as well because he has the ability to hit a 15- foot jumper from one of the corners, after jab stepping a few times. When opposing bigs take that shot away, he will jab and then attempt to get something going to his left, instead of firing that mid-range jump shot. He is not the kind of big man that is going to stay out on the perimeter after setting screens, and drill open/mildly contested threes (only attempted 2 three-pointers last season, and made one), which is why he is content with rolling hard to the rim and converting easy baskets.