SEC Basketball: Top 15 players entering 2020-21 season

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 21: Keyontae Johnson #11, Tre Mann #1, and Scottie Lewis #23 of the Florida Gators look on against the Utah State Aggies during the second half of the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic at BB&T Center on December 21, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

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Yves Pons SEC Basketball Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images /

3. G/F Yves Pons, Tennessee

If Yves Pons was put on this kind of list at this time last year, the proprietor of said list would likely be out of a job. What had Pons done to that point of his collegiate career, other than largely ride the bench in Knoxville?

Everything changed during Pons’ junior year. The Frenchman from Haiti started all 31 games he played and proved to be a durable member of the team’s core, averaging 33.9 minutes per game. On offense, Pons averaged 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, shooting 34.9 percent from three-point range. He also shot 55.5 percent from the field, finishing tenth in the SEC.

But it’s on the defensive end where Pons truly broke out. He led the SEC in blocks, swatting 2.4 shots per game. He also contributed 1.6 defensive win shares to the Vols and won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award.

Pons is never going to be the most dynamic offensive player in the world. On Tennessee, he doesn’t have to be. He’ll have Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson picking up all of the offensive slack on the roster, along with John Fulkerson’s unheralded support. Pons can simply continue to patrol the defensive end and jack up a few highly efficient shots on his way to being the most important player on one of the country’s most intriguing teams.

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