VFLs in the NBA: A look at former Vols' 2022-23 seasons

By the end of the 2022-23 NBA season, six former Tennessee players remained under contract in the league.

This included three players reaching at least the second round of the playoffs before being eliminated.

Let's dive into how these alumni fared during the course of the year.

In the 2022-23 season, Tobias Harris entered his 12th NBA season and fifth with the 76ers.

As a starting forward, Harris averaged 14.7 points on 50.1% shooting from the field and 38.9% shooting on 3-pointers. He also added 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in his 32.9 minutes per contest.

Throughout the year, Harris was able to stay consistently healthy. He appeared in 74 regular season games while starting in all of them.

This helped Philadelphia earn the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. During the teams playoff run that ended in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Harris elevated his play.

He averaged 15.3 points on 52.2% field goal shooting and 36.6% shooting on 3-pointers. He also recorded 7.3 rebounds per game.

Ultimately, the team lost to the Celtics in seven games to end their season. Harris will be under contract for one more year but the team may look to move on from him as they transition to a new coach.

He will be earning $39.3 million next season to complete his five-year contract.

After earning SEC Player of the Year honors at Tennessee, Grant Williams has carved out a role as an effective player in the NBA.

Williams was drafted by the Celtics and played in his fourth season with the team this year. He averaged 8.1 points on 45.4% shooting from the field and 39.5% shooting on 3-pointers. He also added 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest.

The forward was a consistent piece for Boston. He played in 79 regular season games while making 23 starts.

In the playoffs, Williams helped his team reach the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics went down 3-0 in the series but stormed back to force a game seven that they ultimately lost.

In the series, Williams appeared in the final six games and averaged 7.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

Now, Williams is a restricted free agent. He will enter the market but any offer made to him has the possibility to be matched by Boston.

One of the longest-tenured NBA players from Tennessee is Josh Richardson. He entered his eighth season in the league with the Spurs.

However, after appearing in 42 games and making six starts, Richardson was dealt to the Pelicans. He played 23 games in New Orleans while starting in four.

Between the pair of teams, Richardson averaged 10.1 points on 43.1% shooting from the field and 36.5% shooting on 3-pointers. He also recorded 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

With the Pelicans missing out on the playoffs, Richardson's season was finalized with a play-in game vs. the Thunder. He played 17 minutes in the game while putting up nine points, four assists, two rebounds and a +/- of +4.

Richardson is now an unrestricted free agent. He is 30 years old and will provide a veteran presence as an off-ball guard to whoever picks him up.

One of the younger players to represent Tennessee at the next level is Keon Johnson.

Johnson was drafted by the Clippers but was traded to Trail Blazers in his rookie year. Last year, he spent the entire season in Portland while playing in 40 games off the bench.

Alongside a young Trail Blazers squad, Johnson averaged 4.7 points per game in 10.4 minutes. However, his athletic frame helped him become a positive defender.

As Portland struggles to compete, Johnson missed out on the playoffs.

He is under contract for the next season as the Trail Blazers picked up his team option. They'll have the option to pick up another team option the following next season, too. Johnson will be a restricted free agent in 2025.

After standing out at Tennessee, Schofield now has completed three NBA seasons. He began his career with the Wizards but didn't compete in the NBA following his rookie year.

However, the past two seasons have seen him playing with the Magic. In 2022-23, he appeared in 37 games off the bench. He averaged 4.2 points on 45.1% shooting. He also contributed 1.7 rebounds.

With the Magic deep into a rebuild, Schofield didn't have the chance to compete in the playoffs. Instead, he attempted to prove himself worthy of sticking around for Orlando's future plans.

Currently, the Magic have the option to pick up Schofield's team option for next season. If not, he'll become an unrestricted free agent.

Being selected alongside Johnson in the 2021 NBA Draft was Jaden Springer.

The one-and-done standout was selected by the 76ers where he still plays. Alongside Harris, Springer played in 16 games for Philadelphia this season including two starts. In this time, he averaged 2.6 points on 48.6% shooting in just 5.6 minutes per game.

In the playoffs, Springer made four appearances. In 4.3 minutes per game, he averaged 2.3 points while never missing a shot from the field.

Next year, Springer will stay with the 76ers barring a trade. His team-option was picked up for the 2023-24 season. Following the year, he will have another team-option available. Then, he will become a restricted free agent.

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