Julian Phillips Eyeing Future Plans, Potential NBA Career

After an abrupt end to the season, forward Julian Phillips must make a decision on his future. Will he return to the Tennessee Volunteers or test the NBA Draft waters?

Julian Phillips was Tennessee's most highly anticipated freshman heading into this season. He was the 19th overall recruit in 2022, according to 247 Sports, and was the number one player in Missouri. Phillips was also a top ten small forward in the 2022 class.

His 6-foot-8-inch, 200-pound frame made him the prototype for the direction basketball is heading in. Essentially, he is a stretch big who can score from anywhere, and the package he provides also comes with an innate athletic ability. 

This season, Phillips showed bright parts of his game. His best game arguably was a 25-point performance over USC in November during the Battle 4 Atlantis. However, as a whole, he averaged 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He provided solid numbers, but there was a stint during the season when both he and Josiah-Jordan James were unhealthy and did not get to showcase everything they could do.

Julian Phillips, Tennessee F

One redeeming quality to Phillips' game this season was his shot selection. He finished with a field goal percentage of 41.1%. Not bad for a first season in Knoxville. The question now becomes this for the former five-star. Is he ready for the NBA level?

My best guess would be that if he feels he is ready, Phillips will opt into the NBA Draft Combine coming up shortly in May. However, a good guess is that for someone who was a top 20 player in his class, he will be back to improve himself to improve his stock and solidify himself with a higher draft pick. Phillips has the intangibles to be a lottery selection. A big step towards that could be another year in Knoxville, with him being more in a leader-like role on the team.

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