I've seen SO many threads & comments during & after games talking about how John Fulkerson doesn't bring ANYTHING to the table for the Vol Hoops. There are even lots of posts that question Coach Barnes' reasoning for playing the guys as much as he does.
I don't know what our fans expect the stats to be for our 7th/8th man on the roster & 2nd/3rd guy off the bench, but when I checked the stats to see what the truth is about Fulkerson's production, he's actually very productive.
This will be quite a surprise to all the posters who continually bash the kid simply because he's a white dude who hustles his tail off and isn't as athletically gifted as all of our other players who see time on the court.
Fulkerson's Averages per Game for 2018-19:
12.1 Minutes
3.5 Points
2.8 Rebounds (1.1 Off & 1.7 Def)
0.9 Assists
0.6 Steals
0.7 Blocks
If Fulky played 31.5 mins/game like Grant does, then his averages equate to the following: 9.1 Points, 7.3 Rebounds, 2.3 Assists, 1.6 Steals, 1.8 Blocks.
That's actually MORE Steals & Blocks than Grant averages and about the same # of rebounds.
He's averaging the 8th most minutes for the Vols at 12.1 mins per game.
So when you compare Fulky's stats against the #8 players for the other Top 10 teams in the country, they're even more impressive.
For comparison, here are the averages for the 8th guys on other top teams:
Duke's Alex O'Connell: 13.0 mins, 4.5 ppg, 1.6 reb, 0.7 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.0 blocks
Virginia's Jay Huff: 9.7 mins, 5.1 ppg, 2.3 reb, 0.3 assists, 0.1 steals, 0.9 blocks
Gonzaga's Jeremy Jones: 14.4 mins, 3.5 ppg, 3.6 reb, 1.1 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.1 blocks
Kentucky's Nick Richards: 11.4 mins, 3.5 ppg, 3.1 reb, 0.2 assists, 0.1 steals, 1.5 blocks
Nevada's Jordan Brown: 11.0 mins, 3.7 ppg, 2.4 reb, 0.5 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.5 blocks
Michigan's Brandon Johns: 4.5 mins, 1.1 ppg, 1.3 reb, 0.1 assists, 0.1 steals, 0.1 blocks
UNC's Brandon Robinson: 11.9 mins, 3.5 ppg, 1.4 reb, 1.3 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.2 blocks
Mich St.'s Aaron Henry: 18.0 mins, 4.8 ppg, 2.9 reb, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.4 blocks
Marquette's Brendan Bailey: 12.3 mins, 2.7 ppg, 1.6 reb, 0.4 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.6 blocks
This is where Fulkerson ranks for each statistic when compared to the other #8 players for all Top 10 teams in the AP: 5th in Mins, 5th in PTS, 4th in REB, 4th in AST, 2nd in STL, 3rd in BLK
The guy literally hustles his a$$ off every possession of every game when he’s out there.
Granted he didn't do much against Kansas, but he's done well in other games against top 25 teams this year:
- Louisville: 11 Mins, 11 Points, 1 Reb, 4 for 4 FG, 3 for 4 FT
- Gonzaga: 14 Mins, 5 Points, 5 Reb, 2 Blocks
He's been huge in some other close games as well:
- Georgia Tech: only 1 Point but 6 Reb, 1 Assist, 2 Steals, 2 Blocks
- Memphis: 5 Points, 6 Reb, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, 2 Blocks
- South Car: 6 Points, 3 Reb, 1 Steal, 1 Block
These are recent comments that his teammates and coach have said about his play:
Jordan Bone: “We love that energy. A lot of people like to talk about the old Fulky. But Fulky is back, man. He has gotten his step back. He is making plays like he used to. It’s just an amazing thing to see. He gives us energy and he gives us a lot of confidence to make those plays. That’s something we enjoy.”
Coach Barnes: "We need him. He’s a big part of this team. All of our rotational guys are. We know that when someone goes down, we need to have someone ready to not just step in and hold the line but take it to another level. He’s really capable of doing that.”
Grant Williams (who has been roommates w/ Fulky every year at UT): “It’s hard to play harder than Fulky."
Doubt this will stop all the negative posts, but it may make some posters hesitate before treating the guy like many used to talk about Colton Jumper during football games.
I don't know what our fans expect the stats to be for our 7th/8th man on the roster & 2nd/3rd guy off the bench, but when I checked the stats to see what the truth is about Fulkerson's production, he's actually very productive.
This will be quite a surprise to all the posters who continually bash the kid simply because he's a white dude who hustles his tail off and isn't as athletically gifted as all of our other players who see time on the court.
Fulkerson's Averages per Game for 2018-19:
12.1 Minutes
3.5 Points
2.8 Rebounds (1.1 Off & 1.7 Def)
0.9 Assists
0.6 Steals
0.7 Blocks
If Fulky played 31.5 mins/game like Grant does, then his averages equate to the following: 9.1 Points, 7.3 Rebounds, 2.3 Assists, 1.6 Steals, 1.8 Blocks.
That's actually MORE Steals & Blocks than Grant averages and about the same # of rebounds.
He's averaging the 8th most minutes for the Vols at 12.1 mins per game.
So when you compare Fulky's stats against the #8 players for the other Top 10 teams in the country, they're even more impressive.
For comparison, here are the averages for the 8th guys on other top teams:
Duke's Alex O'Connell: 13.0 mins, 4.5 ppg, 1.6 reb, 0.7 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.0 blocks
Virginia's Jay Huff: 9.7 mins, 5.1 ppg, 2.3 reb, 0.3 assists, 0.1 steals, 0.9 blocks
Gonzaga's Jeremy Jones: 14.4 mins, 3.5 ppg, 3.6 reb, 1.1 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.1 blocks
Kentucky's Nick Richards: 11.4 mins, 3.5 ppg, 3.1 reb, 0.2 assists, 0.1 steals, 1.5 blocks
Nevada's Jordan Brown: 11.0 mins, 3.7 ppg, 2.4 reb, 0.5 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.5 blocks
Michigan's Brandon Johns: 4.5 mins, 1.1 ppg, 1.3 reb, 0.1 assists, 0.1 steals, 0.1 blocks
UNC's Brandon Robinson: 11.9 mins, 3.5 ppg, 1.4 reb, 1.3 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.2 blocks
Mich St.'s Aaron Henry: 18.0 mins, 4.8 ppg, 2.9 reb, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.4 blocks
Marquette's Brendan Bailey: 12.3 mins, 2.7 ppg, 1.6 reb, 0.4 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.6 blocks
This is where Fulkerson ranks for each statistic when compared to the other #8 players for all Top 10 teams in the AP: 5th in Mins, 5th in PTS, 4th in REB, 4th in AST, 2nd in STL, 3rd in BLK
The guy literally hustles his a$$ off every possession of every game when he’s out there.
Granted he didn't do much against Kansas, but he's done well in other games against top 25 teams this year:
- Louisville: 11 Mins, 11 Points, 1 Reb, 4 for 4 FG, 3 for 4 FT
- Gonzaga: 14 Mins, 5 Points, 5 Reb, 2 Blocks
He's been huge in some other close games as well:
- Georgia Tech: only 1 Point but 6 Reb, 1 Assist, 2 Steals, 2 Blocks
- Memphis: 5 Points, 6 Reb, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, 2 Blocks
- South Car: 6 Points, 3 Reb, 1 Steal, 1 Block
These are recent comments that his teammates and coach have said about his play:
Jordan Bone: “We love that energy. A lot of people like to talk about the old Fulky. But Fulky is back, man. He has gotten his step back. He is making plays like he used to. It’s just an amazing thing to see. He gives us energy and he gives us a lot of confidence to make those plays. That’s something we enjoy.”
Coach Barnes: "We need him. He’s a big part of this team. All of our rotational guys are. We know that when someone goes down, we need to have someone ready to not just step in and hold the line but take it to another level. He’s really capable of doing that.”
Grant Williams (who has been roommates w/ Fulky every year at UT): “It’s hard to play harder than Fulky."
Doubt this will stop all the negative posts, but it may make some posters hesitate before treating the guy like many used to talk about Colton Jumper during football games.
