There was a piece missing from Monday’s basketball practice. Just about half an hour before practice began, Tennessee revealed the news that forward Olivier Nkamhoua would be undergoing surgery to repair an ankle injury and will likely miss the remainder of the season. But as Rick Barnes said on Monday, this is a reality that comes with the sport, and there are still games to be played.
With Nkamhoua now out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, the Tennessee basketball team got back to work on Monday to prepare for a two-game week. The Vols will travel to Starkville to take on Mississippi State on Wednesday night before hosting Vanderbilt on Saturday evening.
One of the biggest questions heading forward is how Barnes and his staff are going to replace Nkamhoua’s 21.5 minutes per game. A four-guard lineup will be convenient in certain moments coming up this season, but Tennessee will have to see another big step up and fill in for Nkamhoua’s toughness and presence down low.
“Between Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, Jonas Aidoo, and Jahmai Mashack we’ll decide who will give us the best chance to win basketball games and it will come down to who is the better defensive player,” Barnes said on Monday. “All three of them are freshmen, we think they all can score, but we need consistency on the defensive end, and whoever shows us that will get those minutes. They won’t get all those minutes because we can do some other things as well, but that is going to get guys on the court this time of year.”
Below are some highlights from the Tennessee basketball practice on Monday afternoon in Thompson-Boling Arena as the Vols gear up for a two-game week ahead.
