Tennessee Can Find Ways To Replace Uros Plavsic
With forward Uros Plavsic pursuing a professional career, the Vols have no choice but to move forward and allocate minutes elsewhere. While the role of the enforcer is tough to fill, it's not always necessary. Not many players play like Plavsic. Putting toughness and physicality to good use in basketball is easier said than done, and Plavsic was a good example.
Let's look at the reality for a second. Plavsic never played a ton of minutes. He was mainly used as a rebounder and big body and was an okay rim protector. With that skillset in that role, is it worth it to have when he commits six fouls per 40 minutes? The answer is probably no. When you put it even further under a microscope and realize that more often than others, those fouls end up being flagrants or technicals. While there are criticisms about Plavsic's "dirtiness," we can also acknowledge that the positives on the floor are just replaceable. If you remove the flagrants and technicals, developing an effective rebounder who can somewhat protect the rim and guard in the post will not be that difficult for Rick Barnes and his staff.
They might already have that on their roster in Tobe Awaka. While Awaka doesn't have the height of Plavsic, he was just a freshman, so the room to get stronger is certainly there. He's also already a pretty good rebounder, and he's a gifted athlete. Awaka also has more offensive upside. This also could clear the way for Jonas Aidoo to grab some more minutes, which I know I wouldn't mind seeing. Plavsic was far from a complete negative for Tennessee. There wasn't a single player on Tennessee last season who I considered a negative. The great thing about sports, though, is things can always be better, and with Plavsic on his way to a professional career, Tennessee could have all kinds of new and interesting possibilities.
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