Jonas Aidoo’s ascendancy looking like a real thing

There was only one way Tennessee’s game over Georgia Southern was going to go tonight. The Vols were going to win, it was just a matter of by how much and what it would look like. Well, the 74-56 win wasn’t all that pretty, but Jonas Aidoo’s 29 points and 11 rebounds were certainly noteworthy.

If you’re looking for a positive to take away from tonight’s game, Aidoo is it. (Maybe the Vols’ first half defense tickled your fancy).

Rick Barnes was probably more down on his team tonight for their second half performance than he was after any of the Vols’ three losses this season. But if you follow this team, you knew that was going to be the case.

Tennessee led 49-21 at the half and then got outscored 35-25 in the second half by an 0-9 (now 0-10) Georgia Southern team while committing 12 second half turnovers.

The head coach was especially down on his veterans for their play in the second half, but we’ll get to that later.

I get it, that’s his job, in a game like this the head coach probably needs to focus on the negatives. (if you’re looking to improve as a result of playing one of these ridiculously outclassed opponents).

Since it’s not my job to dwell on the negatives I’m free to talk about my biggest takeaway, which is simply that Jonas Aidoo is a different player than the one that began the season wearing No. 0 for Tennessee five weeks ago. And that’s a good thing. A very good thing for Tennessee.

I’m not going to go crazy about Aidoo scoring 29 tonight on 11-of-16 shooting (although that’s pretty big time). Simply because that was a really bad basketball team that the Vols faced tonight. Tennessee probably has a few guys on the roster who could have gone for 20+ tonight if given the touches and opportunities Aidoo got.

Nope, this is more about the four game stretch that Aidoo is currently in. Really more of a three game stretch, but we’ll call it four since he had 13 two weeks ago in the loss at North Carolina. (as compared to the previous two years of his career)

Aidoo has been in double digits in each of the Vols’ last four games. Prior to this run he’d never scored double-digits in back-to-back contests. Not only is he scoring in double figures, he’s set a career high for points in two of the Vols’ last three games. (He actually set a new career high in just the first half tonight with 21 points)

“Now it’s about consistency. Can we get it from him?,” Barnes said of the challenge facing Aidoo and what the Vols need from him going forward. “Maybe not 29 (points), but the 11 rebounds we need. And that if we can get just somewhere in that area every night, a double-double from him, we would, he would be there (where we need him).”

It’s not just Aidoo’s point production that highlights his shifting offensive approach, it’s more about how aggressive he’s been on that end of the floor, hunting his offense in a manner he’s never come close to before.

He took 16 shots tonight. No one else on the team took more than seven. It’s the second time in his career that Aidoo has led the team in field goal attempts. The first time was last week against George Mason.

Want to see just how much more aggressive Aidoo is on the offensive end of the floor than he’s been at any point in his career? Here you go.

In 35 games last season Aidoo attempted 150 shots. This season, through 10 games, Aidoo already has 92 field goal attempts. I’m not great at math, but that’s way more than half of the field goal attempts in way less than half the games.

Here’s an even bigger example of his more aggressive approach. Last season he got to the foul line a total of 28 times (went 21-of-28). After tonight Aidoo has gotten to the line 28 times in nine games (has made 20-of-28)

Those previous paragraphs and all those numbers what are what it looks like when a player is turning the corner in their evolution. For that to be happening with Aidoo right now is great news for Tennessee’s basketball team. If it continues.

It’s also a development that the humble Aidoo is quick to deflect credit for.

“I was just getting to my spots, my teammates were really looking for me and I tried to finish through contact,” Aidoo said of the key to his career best game tonight.

As for suddenly turning into a guy who doesn’t shy away from putting up 16 shots in a game, Aidoo also says that’s a reflection of his teammates as well.

“I feel comfortable because my teammates are encouraging me to shoot the ball. As long as they believe in me I’m going to keep shooting it,” Aidoo said.

Barnes is clearly loving the Aidoo ascendancy, but the head coach had a hard time focusing on that detail after having watched his team kind of sleepwalk through the second half tonight.

That’s understandable, Barnes is just wired that way, and Tennessee really was lethargic in the second half tonight. Egregiously so. (But it shouldn’t overshadow the continued emergence of Aidoo)

Tennessee had 12 of its 19 turnovers in the second half and 11 of those second half miscues (11!!!) came on steals for Georgia Southern.

More than the sheer number of mistakes though, who was making them got under Barnes’ collar the most.

“You go back, I think the starters were 4-for-23 (shooting from the floor). I think they had 11 of the 19 turnovers. The way they came out and started the second half, honestly, it is extremely disappointing. They should have come out the same way we started the game,” Barnes lamented post game.

“We didn’t get it done in the second half. We talked from the beginning about these guys being the kind of leaders we want them to be. It goes back to consistency. We have to know what we are going to get from those older guys for 40 minutes not just for 20 minutes.”

The disappointing second half will be a teaching point for Barnes and it’s sure to be an ugly film review session. And Tennessee will probably even benefit from being reminded about the need to stay focused for 40 minutes.

The sluggish second half will give the head coach some justification for riding his guys in practice, which isn’t a bad thing here in December when a light schedule and no students on campus can create a sleepy environment.

Everyone that was in attendance for Barnes’ postgame press conference tonight knew that the head coach was going to be focused on how poorly his team played in the second half. It was a given.

If you’re a fan looking for some early December good vibes though, look no further than what you’ve seen from Aidoo in the last four games.

He’s always been a guy with vast potential since the moment Tennessee landed him him as five star high school prospect. Now everyone is getting a chance to see him start to realize that potential and the impact that development could have on Tennessee’s season is enormous.

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