Jahmai Mashack's New Role For Tennessee

Being down two starters is tough to overcome. It's even tougher when you're down two starters against the No. 1 team in the country. That's the situation that Tennessee was in when Alabama came to town on Wednesday night.

No doubt about it, many Tennessee players stepped up, including the guards when it came to scoring. However, the one guy who was an unsung hero in the victory was the guy who was filling in for the injured players: Jahmai Mashack.

Mashack has had a slow career so far in Knoxville. He barely played as a freshman, and now as a sophomore, he's playing more, but not nearly enough to be considered an impact contributor. Playing just 37.8% of minutes, it would've been understandable if Mashack had a bad night when being asked to play 27 minutes and guard, oh, I don't know, the best player in the SEC and the best freshman in the country.

Mashack was doing enough to bother Brandon Miller in the matchup. Miller finished the night just 4-11 from the floor and looked uncomfortable with the smaller Mashack on him. Of course, Mashack's role will probably shrink back when Josiah-Jordan James and Julian Phillips are healthy again. Still, it is nice to know that Rick Barnes has a capable defender who can guard bigger wings.

good stat from @Volquest_Rob: Jahmai Mashack had the best +/- for Tennessee tonight (+9) ... and he didn't score.

pretty good way to sum up that win.
— @GrantRamey (@GrantRamey) February 16, 2023

It is extremely tough to project what Mashack could do down the line if he were to play all four of his collegiate seasons at Tennessee. We know he's a good defender now that's good in situational spots. However, for him to be a player that Barnes can play more consistently, his offensive game needs to develop.

Tennessee's offensive rating this season when Mashack is on the floor is 89.9. That's not good, but with Rick Barnes' development history, there is reason to believe that Mashack could come back as a more effective offensive player next season.

Mashack should be used against these bigger wings as he proved he could battle with them. If nothing else, Tennessee fans know they have a young player that will compete when given the opportunity. We'll see what the injury situation looks like for Tennessee on Saturday, but if Mashack is needed, there's no doubt he'll be ready.

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