One of the biggest winners of NCAA Basketball so far this offseason has been the Tennessee Volunteers, who managed to land three of the top transfers in the portal. Guards Jordan Gainey and Dalton Knecht, along with Harvard forward, Chris Ledlum. But with so much talent coming in, it’s caused so roster departures as well. And one of them is a huge name in Julian Phillips.
A year ago, Phillips was viewed as one of the top incoming freshmen in the 2022 recruiting class, ranked as a consensus five-star prospect. He’s a 6’8 forward with plenty of versatility, capable of playing and guarding both positions as the 3/4. That’s what he played in his lone season at Tennessee, starting 25 of 34 games.
Phillips averaged 8.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg, shooting 41% from the field and just 24% from three-point line. His production was inconsistent overall on offense but did have some big outings, including five games of at least 15 points. One of them includes a season-high 25 points and eight rebounds against USC, along with a notable 18 points and 11 rebounds versus Mississippi State.
Phillips had some offensive issues but he was a good defender and showed plenty of potential, both in college and eventually the pros. He entered the NBA Draft process and there’s a chance that a team could take a flyer on but if Phillips comes back, it’ll be for a different NCAA Basketball program.
There will be plenty of options for Phillips in the coming days. But which ones make the most sense? Here’s a look at 10 teams that could get into the mix.