Tennessee Basketball: An in-depth look at Volunteers 2020-21 roster

Minutes Distribution

Returning Starters from last season (27 plus minutes per game)

Santiago Vescovi

Josiah-Jordan James

John Fulkerson

Yves Pons

Returning bench/role players from last season (between 5-15 minutes per game)

Davonte Gaines

Drew Pember

Olivier Nkamhoua

Uros Plavsic (has the potential to play more minutes if Rick Barnes wants to put a bigger lineup out on the floor)

Key Newcomers (between 15-28 minutes per game)

Jaden Springer

Keon Johnson

Corey Walker Jr.

E.J. Anosike

Victor Bailey Jr.

Walk-ons (less than 5 minutes per game)

Brock Jancek

Isaiah Sulack

Cole Morris

Kent Gilbert

I decided to format this section like this, because just like every Tennessee basketball fan, I have no idea what Barnes is planning to do with all of this talent. The four starters from 2019-2020 will most likely crack the starting lineup again this season, but who will the fifth starter be? And will Barnes spend more time playing around with different lineups, because he has added a few more versatile/well-rounded players?

Well, frankly I am not entirely sure, but I do know that the returning bench/role players and newcomers will have their opportunities to prove their worth on the court. Should you look at the minutes distribution above and assume that it’ll work out the way I’m guessing it will? Absolutely not, because nothing is set in stone right now, but what you should do is read my breakdown of each player carefully, so that you can get a good idea of what Barnes is working with this upcoming season.

Many people believe that Tennessee is the clear favorite to win the SEC in 2020-2021, and honestly, you shouldn’t really fault them for jumping the gun this early. They have five newcomers that are multi-talented and could play huge roles from the jump, four starters returning that each had solid 2019-2020 campaigns, and four returning bench/role players that could shock everyone with their vast improvements in multiple areas.

If you haven’t already received the message yet, I am stressing to you that right now, it is more important to look at what each player brings the table, rather than how many minutes Barnes may give them.

Heck, he is still in the process of figuring out what players may play well together, and operate the best in his system. This is why I am advising you to simply analyze roster for the 2020-2021 season, and look forward to watching this gifted bunch when the season gets underway.