2021’s starting 5: Reserves for West Tennessee
The starting five of the West Tennessee team is offensively gifted.
Adding depth would give the starters the proper rest between halves in order to finish the final 4-5 minutes of the game.
To make sure the starters have fresh legs, I would run a 10-man lineup.
Here are the reserves for West Tennessee.
Point guard
Taki Walker, Fayette Ware: Walker comes off the bench and gives an instant boost because of his toughness. The 6-foot-2 point guard is very passionate about the game. He’s a decent jump shooter with eagerness to get into the lane. Walker has good court vision as well.
Shooting guard
Tadarius Jacobs, Memphis East: Jacobs is another tough guard, so he and Walker would play well together. Jacobs plays well without the basketball. He’s a tough task because he constantly moves on the court. Jacobs always runs hard off ball screens and instantly puts up 17-foot jump shots. He’s always ready to score.
Small forward
Jalen Brown, Wooddale: Brown is just like Jacobs in terms of scoring, so teams will have problems if they’re going to play man-to-man defense. The 6-4 wing can score off the dribble. Brown can get hot from 3. When he’s locked in, Brown can be a solid on-ball defender as well.
Power forward
Tyler Fitzpatrick, Fayette Ware: Fitzpatrick can be as good as he wants to be. The 6-6 wing can score when he wants to. Fitzpatrick can see over the defense, so that’s a plus. In this lineup, he will need to crash the boards and put forth the effort on both ends of the floor.
Center
Zander Yates, Houston: In this lineup, Yates is good for at least 10 points. The 6-7 forward has a nice shot release. Running high pick-and-roll action with Walker would be beneficial for Yates and the offense, because it would have the defense guessing on where the ball is going. Walker could take the shot. Yates could pop out for a 3 or roll to the basket. The defense would have to be alert every time.
This is a small lineup, but this lineup will be effective. Brown and Jacobs would probably score a bulk of the points. Walker would easily hit 10 assists. Fitzpatrick and Yates would need to combine for 15-20 rebounds. As the floor general, Walker doesn’t lack the effort at rebounding. He’s going to going after a lot of balls coming off the rim.
All five players will need to contribute on both ends of the floor. That’s how winning is done.