Grading The Vols: Bigs

The Tennessee Volunteers got some up and down contributions from their bigs this season.

Despite being Tennessee's worst position group, the three true post players for the Vols sometimes displayed promise. They were physical, good rim protectors, and they all rebounded the basketball. While each had different styles, there's a lot to be excited about in the future for the Tennessee frontcourt.

Jonas Aidoo: B+

Jonas Aidoo took some pretty significant strides this season on both the offensive and defensive end. From barely playing his freshman year to starting nine games this year, Aidoo played his role pretty well.

Jonas Aidoo, Tennessee C

He doesn't earn a higher grade from me because his offensive usage rates were the lowest of any Tennessee player in the rotation. Aidoo posted a 112.9 offensive rating this season but was only used in 15.2% of possessions when he was on the floor.

Despite that, Aidoo's defense and rebounding were crucial to Tennessee's success. Aidoo finished the year 23rd nationally in block rate. If he can take another step forward next year, the big man could be one of the premiere centers in the country.

Uros Plavsic: D+

Not everyone can have a spectacular season, right? Plavsic, for what his role was supposed to be, did his job at times. However, his usage rates weren't high, and neither his offense nor defense was a huge plus.

The underlying numbers backed this up as well. Plavsic's on-off margin splits ended up being in the negatives. Not great for a veteran player that's supposed to be reliable. The subjectiveness of his physical play obviously raises some red flags. Plavsic was called dirty by many this season, and at times, he proved those people right.

Tobe Awaka: C+

A "C+" for Awaka might be considered a bad thing, but I was impressed with Awaka's freshman season. His role really increased once Tennessee started dealing with injuries, and despite only being 6'8, he was more of a true center that was simply undersized.

Awaka had an absurd 118.3 offensive rating despite being in a very limited role and also very high rebounding rates on both ends. When a guy isn't used very much, you can only give him a grade that is so high, but Awaka was good, considering he was barely a top 300 player in his class as a freshman.

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