Josiah-Jordan James proving to be the ultimate glue guy
To say Josiah-Jordan James was relieved that he wouldn’t have to have surgery to repair torn ligaments in the middle finger of his left hand would be an understatement.
Tennessee’s junior guard injured his finger back on Nov. 20 in UT’s 71-53 loss to Villanova. James missed the Vols’ next three games before returning to action in Saturday’s 69-54 win over Colorado.
“Josiah James was phenomenal,” Vols head coach Rick Barnes said following the game. “What he did with only two days of practice. The way he impacted the game on both ends was really special today.”
James knew following Thursday’s practice that he’d be available in Boulder for Tennessee’s first true road test of the season.
“I knew I was going to be a little bit out of shape, but if I could just come in here and there and give my team a couple of minutes, I would do it,” James said. “I knew my team needed me for this two-game stretch. So I knew after the Thursday practice that my finger felt fine. Everything else felt good, just a little winded and out of shape.”
You have to dig a little deeper to appreciate what James brings to the Vols. You can’t simply look at what he shot from the field or how many points he scored.
James’ performance against Colorado was a perfect example. He only had five points on 2-of-3 shooting, but he grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, blocked four shots, had two steals and dished out an assist.
The lone three-pointer James made came out of a timeout after Colorado had cut the lead to five with 8:07 remaining in the game. Colorado would never get within five points again.
“Jo knows what we’re doing,” Barnes said. “He knows our system. But we left it up to him. We said you tell us when you’re ready. He told us two days ago he thought he would get ready and thought the Colorado game would be a game he could get back (in).
“His versatility allows us to do a lot of different things on the defensive end. And people will look at his numbers and think right now, well he’s not shooting a high percentage, but I’ve said before, he’s a terrific shooter. If you watch him shoot it, I don’t know if I’d ever feel comfortable (as an opponent) giving him looks."
The Charleston, South Carolina native has always had a game that isn’t properly appreciated. In a day and age that focuses on getting shots up and how many points you finish with, James is perfectly fine with people not appreciating his game enough.
“My role on this team is to be a glue guy,” James said. “Coach wants me to offensive rebound. He wants me to be the best defender. He wants me to be somebody he can rely on both ends and that’s what I like to be. Someone you can rely on.
“I don’t have to score a lot of points. We have guys one through five who can score the ball no matter who is on the floor so I don’t worry about scoring. I just worry about defense and rebounding. Getting us out of funks and being a leader on the floor.”
James’ mindset is exactly what a talented, yet somewhat inexperienced Vols team needs. A vocal leader both on and off the floor. His versatility doesn’t hurt either.
The 6-foot-6, 214-pounder’s versatility as a big guard or small-ball forward allows Barnes to deploy several different lineups as well. Simply put, James is the ultimate glue guy.
“His demeanor today was outstanding,” Barnes said of James. “He came up with some really big rebounds, a couple blocked shots. But it’s his versatility that he gives us. And I think he gives our guys another older player out there that plays with a lot of poise.”
Tennessee now turns its attention to Madison Square Garden. The Vols will face Texas Tech in New York City Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN as part of the Jimmy V Classic.