Photo: Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee fans are still waiting on the next Dalton Knecht. We can stop waiting. Juke Harris is already here.
Last year at Wake Forest he averaged 21.4 points and 6.5 rebounds. He was the ACC’s Most Improved Player. He went from a 6 point role player as a freshman to one of the top scorers in the country. He put up 38 against Boston College. He dropped 30 plus multiple times in conference play. He led the nation in scoring increase. That’s not a fluke. That’s a guy who figured it out and took over.
He’s 6 foot 7 with real size and athleticism. He can score at all three levels. He gets to the free throw line and knocks them down. He rebounds like a forward even though he’s listed as a guard. Tennessee needed a clear first option after the roster turned over. Harris is it.
People will say the SEC is a different animal. Fine. Knecht proved a transfer scorer can handle this league and then some. Harris already has the production. The only real question marks were defense and consistency from three. Barnes is the exact coach who forces those things to improve. Harris has already said he’s getting tougher and better on that end in the summer. That’s the right approach.
Tennessee hasn’t had a true go to scorer since Knecht left. Harris is walking into that role with the numbers and the tools to fill it. He’s not a project. He’s not a hope.
He’s the next man up.