Breaking Down the 'Horns, Part 2: Jamie Vinson's Role
Texas stole a 3-star signee from Vanderbilt at the buzzer. How can he impact this Texas team?
Given the situation with the Texas front court, which was addressed in Part 1 of this series, freshman Jamie Vinson is could need to play a role for this team despite having no experience at the collegiate level.
Being the only other player on this Texas team besides Kadin Shedrick that stands 6-foot-11, Vinson will be one of very few viable centers on this roster. He’s also very slight of frame, weighing in at around 210 pounds, which means he will have to pack on muscle to compete in the paint against more built forwards and centers.
After drawing offers from several schools, including Kentucky, Rutgers, South Carolina, California, and Rice, Vinson committed to and signed with the Vanderbilt Commodores before being plucked away by Brandon Chappell and Rodney Terry, who beat the buzzer to snag his signature after he was released from his National Letter of Intent.
Jamie Vinson is a skilled offensive big, not a banger inside, though he does have good shot-blocking timing and ability to protect the rim. He’s much more of a floor-spacing five on the offensive side of the ball, someone who can legitimately operate out of the pick-and-pop and bring defenders out of the paint to create better driving lines for the Texas slashers.
Per his stats on Synergy Sports, he is categorized at “Excellent” in efficiency at the 87th percentile with 1.24 points per shot, which is +0.09 above expected. Included in this is an excellent true shooting percentage of 61.9%. Part of this is his three-point percentage, which was 34.4%, and while this number isn’t elite, it’s still very good for someone playing the center spot.
On the other side, he’s a versatile defender that can guard out to about 15 feet due to his tremendous wingspan of 7-foot-5. Due to the aforementioned slightness, he’s very mobile for a near 7-footer, meaning his defensive upside could make him a valuable player against other teams sporting rangy forwards.
The foreseeable issues come more with his frame – like Shedrick, he may have trouble taking on bodies and slamming inside for rebounds. For all the skills he has, he’s not particularly physical, which is the primary area for concern with the Texas front court.
How will this team handle a team like Auburn with Johni Broome (6-foot-10, 240 pounds). How will they deal with Kentucky’s Brandon Garrison (6-foot-11, 245 pounds), or Arkansas’ Jonas Aidoo (6-foot-11, 240 pounds)?
30 pounds is a ton of difference for guys at the same height, and fears that he may not be able to handle the pounding nature of some of these bigs are legitimate for Texas fans. Of course, he’s not the only player on this roster that will bang against these opposing players, but given the lack of depth at the position, it’s also fair to say he will be seeing some minutes.
Overall, Vinson is a nice pickup for a team that needed length inside, but he may be too young – and too underdeveloped physically – to compete at the level needed for this team as a true freshman. He will probably be expected to play 10 or fewer minutes per game, but if injuries get in the way, he may have to step up even more.
@KeenanWomack on Twitter.