Vols freshman point guard Kennedy Chandler is having a somewhat odd season. Chandler was a unanimous five-star prospect and the No. 1 point guard in the 2021 recruiting class before coming to Knoxville. In his debut in orange and white, Chandler dazzled. In the first seven games of the season, Chandler averaged 16.2 points and looked like he would live up to every bit of his five-star billing. Then, things took a turn at the loss to Texas Tech in Madison Square Garden.

Since that ugly game, Chandler's average output dropped to 11.8 points. His assist numbers throughout the season have stayed consistent around 4.8 per contest and he’s generally played about 30 minutes in every outing.

These numbers, even after the Texas Tech debacle, certainly aren’t bad. In fact, they would be considered flat-out good for a more typical freshman point guard. But stats aren’t the only thing to consider here. If you’ve watched most Vol basketball games this season, you’ve likely noticed that something just isn’t fully clicking with Chandler.

His talent and ability are obviously all there and it flashes at times, but often he just doesn’t appear to be completely comfortable. Perhaps it’s Rick Barnes’ coaching, simple growing pains, or a mix of things but it’s fairly obvious that Chandler isn’t maxing out his potential right now.

This was perhaps never more obvious than the final possession of UT’s loss to Texas on January 29th when fellow freshman point guard and emerging fan favorite Zakai Zeigler was given the responsibility of running point for the potentially game-winning play instead of Chandler.

And just like Vol fans, NBA analysts have also taken notice of Chandler’s slower-than-expected season. Chandler began his time at Tennessee being predicted to be drafted to the NBA in the top 15 in 2022 but more recent mock drafts place him all the way back into the 2nd round at around 36th. For reference, 2020-21 Tennessee stars Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer were both drafted in the first round at 21st and 28th, respectively.

So, would Kennedy Chandler potentially stay in Knoxville for another season since his draft profile has dropped and he still has some growing to do? 

To be frank, I doubt it. Never say never but it's clear that analysts still consider Chandler an NBA-ready prospect. He's just not quite as ready as we initially thought.

Sure, he could come back for another season and possibly build his way to being a high first-rounder. In fact, I believe that if he did return for another season, he would be one of the best point guards in the nation and do just that. But, Chandler could also just go ahead and get his professional career going and work his way up the ranks while making a nice NBA paycheck by leaving after this year.

So I'll put it this way: Could he come back for another year? Yes. Is that likely to happen? Not very. And I can't blame him if he chooses to go pro. I want to see Vol players flourish and have big pro careers and if Chandler believes that leaving is what will best help him get to that goal, I say, go make your money, young man.

Featured image via Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports