Tennessee basketball returned from Detroit last March a game shy of the program’s first trip to the Final Four. The next day Rick Barnes met with Cade Phillips to discuss a pivotal offseason for the rising sophomore.
“There were a lot of days where it was just me and him (Barnes) in the gym,” Phillips told RTI this preseason.
Phillips has exceeded even the highest outside expectations for him early in the 2024-25 season and his eighth game was his best to date as the forward totaled 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 26 minutes of action in Tennessee’s 96-70 rout of Syracuse in the SEC-ACC Challenge.
The Jacksonville, Alabama native added immediate juice off the bench against Syracuse. He scored on his first three possessions in the game and tallied 10 points on a perfect five-of-five shooting in his first stretch in the game.
“When Cade checks in, it is just like a boost of energy,” Tennessee shooting guard Chaz Lanier said. “He is super athletic. Probably one of the most athletic people I have played with. Just a boost of energy and intensity.”
Tennessee knew it was going to need Phillips at the onset of the offseason but the need for Phillips development was greatly expedited when center JP Estrella announced he was having season-ending foot surgery last week.
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Phillips is a wiry, long power forward and not a center. But what the 6-foot-9, 212-pound sophomore excels at are the areas where Tennessee needs him to be productive when playing the five-spot. He was the most raw offensive player in the Vols’ 2023 recruiting class but was a natural rebounder and rim protector.
“It gets down to the more consistency you get doing certain things, you earn trust,” Barnes said. “Not only I think with your coaches and your teammates, but most importantly with yourself. You realize I have this down now and I can take another step. We have watched Cade do that.”
Barnes would like more consistency from Phillips but he’s largely been steady to this point. Outside of the Montana and Virginia games, Phillips has given Tennessee reliable minutes in every game this season. He’s tied for a team-best 20 offensive rebounds while blocking nine shots and totaling just nine fouls.
Despite an increased workload at the five-spot, Phillips continues to play significant minutes at the four. Felix Okpara and Phillips on the court together is lethal defensively and on the glass. Offensively, the Vols have been able to manage the spacing well despite neither shooting the ball away from the rim in large part because of Phillips’ understanding of spacing and ability to score on baseline dives.
Tennessee is asking Phillips excel at what he’s best at but is asking him to do it in different niches right now. His versatility is allowing him to do just that and provide superb bench minutes for a team that needs them.
“I think is is to be as versatile on both ends of the floor as possible,” Phillips said on Tuesday night. “Going back to the role, I think being able to guard multiple positions and rebound for my position. Then offensively, be able to space the floor and be able to get in there and offensive rebound. Just versatility on both ends of the floor is where my role needs to be.”
Phillips poured hours upon hours into his shot this offseason and Barnes expressed optimism that the sophomore’s work will show up there. Whether that’s later this season or next is unclear and directly correlates to his ceiling.
But Phillips floor is extremely high because of everything else he does well and the relative consistency he’s done it with. That within itself is incredibly value for a Tennessee team whose own ceiling is rising due in part to Phillips’ productivity.
