Rick Barnes breaks down what he saw from Santiago Vescovi vs. Vanderbilt

There is no quieter leading scorer on a top-five team than Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi. The steady Uruguayan rarely takes over a game or hogs the ball, yet is the most reliable scoring threat the Volunteers have had the last couple years.

Rick Barnes’ teams are balanced on the perimeter this year and the last few, with any one of their primary rotation guards leading them on a given night. So Vescovi rarely has to be a star, but he draws attention like one because of his shot-making ability. Plus, he’s capable of pouring in 25+ points if need be.

Take Tuesday’s pedestrian win over Vanderbilt for example. Vescovi wound up leading the team in scoring with 15 points, but he did so on just nine shots. He was simply efficient, nailing six of those nine attempts, including 3-6 from three. So when he was shooting, he was mostly making. And when he wasn’t, he still draws defensive gravity, which allows for some of the other guards to shine.

However, Rick Barnes wants to see a little more aggression out of his senior star. “I didn’t think he was as locked in offensively as much,” said Barnes of Vescovi’s performance against Vanderbilt. “I thought he was a little too casual to start.”

Vescovi is a relaxed kind of player, though. Rarely makes poor decisions with the ball and never takes a shot his head coach wouldn’t approve of. Just a perfect complementary offensive piece who’s also capable of a shotmaking explosion. Sounds like Barnes wants to see that out of him more often.

“On offense, he’s a player that really sees it and he is always out there adjusting to however teams are playing him,” Barnes added. “But his movement without the ball too. He helps himself a lot because he draws attention. Santi has a really good feel. When he gets moving and gets his feet set he’s a guy that’s difficult to deal with.”

Even when he’s not shooting well, the threat of his jumper and his defensive discipline still make him a vital piece of the lineup, says Barnes.

“Defensively, he was locked in at the start. He always is, like I’ve told you many times. He impacts the game without scoring.”

A veteran college basketball guard that any couch would adore on their own team. Rick Barnes certainly understands how valuable Santiago Vescovi is to the Tennessee system.