Perhaps it was due to the J.P. Estrella injury and Cameron Carr transfer, but for whatever reason, Tennessee Basketball didn’t get what it expected offensively from Igor Milicic Jr. when the Vols added him last year via the transfer portal. Now, Rick Barnes is going from a stretch-four to a true post transfer.
Vanderbilt Commodores transfer forward Jaylen Carey gives UT immediate low-post scoring on a level they may not have had since Grant Williams if he develops. Felix Okpara Jr. is obviously the athlete and scrapper around the rim, and he has the size.
Carey, who is shorter but uses his width at 6’8″ 265 pounds, is also a scrapper but has the potential to be an elite scorer. Last year, with Vandy, he averaged eight points and just over five and a half rebounds a game. However, his efficiency underneath the basket was incredible.
Playing down low, Carey averaged 1.24 points per offensive rebound and would grab over two a game off the bench. He scored 0.94 points per possession. Both were above the 60th percentile, and given his weight, he can use his width to be an extra center the way others can’t.
Key, though, is the type of outside shooter he can become. Carey shot 23.1 percent from three last year and 56.8 percent from the free throw line, but Barnes is reportedly a fan of his shot. Apparently, there’s a chance he just need to fine-tune it. If that’s the case and Carey can become a reliable shooter, he becomes a lethal force.
Simply put, all of a sudden Tennessee Basketball looks way more dangerous in the post.
Not only is Carey an addition, and not only is Okpara returning, but Cade Phillips is also returning, and Estrella should be healthy. That gives the Vols four true post players next year when they only had two this past year, and Phillips hadn’t yet fully developed.
Don’t worry. Given where else Barnes is looking in the portal, he’s not about to revert to his old ways because things didn’t go as planned this year. However, he certainly wants to use size as an advantage again, and given what the Houston Cougars just did to his team, that makes sense.
Barnes has given Tennessee Basketball fans every reason to trust what he does in the portal in the offseason. Ja’Kobi Gillespie from the Maryland Terrapins is the biggest pickup so far, but don’t sleep on what Carey wil bring to the table for this team next year.
