Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Vols have been aggressive in the transfer portal this offseason, and it’s paid off in a big way.

The Volunteers have landed six transfer additions so far, and they’re expected to land Wake Forest transfer guard Juke Harris.

Each of Tennessee’s six transfer additions averaged at least 10 points per game last season. And four of the additions averaged at least 15 points per game last season.

Barnes said going into the offseason that becoming a better shooting team was one of his top priorities.

“We’re going to have to shoot the ball better,” said Barnes after Tennessee’s loss to Michigan in the Elite Eight. “There’s no doubt. We’ve got to shoot the ball better. We’re so inconsistent doing that. We still have to be better finishing around the rim. You’ve watched us all year and we missed too many of those shots.

“Obviously, our defense got us here. It really did. It’s no question. We’ve had games where we’ve struggled to score, but you’re playing against an outstanding team today that was scoring. But just simply, we all have to get better. We all have to keep working at it. We certainly know what it takes to get here, now we’ve got to figure out getting through to the next level.”

Rick Barnes issues challenge to Tennessee’s transfer additions

Barnes appeared on The RTI Low-Down on Sunday and made it clear that he wants to see his players “create offense” as opposed to running a bunch of set plays.

Specifically, Barnes said he wants to see “flow”.

“This year, we knew that we wanted more offense,” said Barnes. “We didn’t want to really rely on two or three guys. We felt like we needed to get some guys that as it gets down to the end of the shot clock [they can create scoring opportunities]. We don’t want to coach these guys on every play — we want some guys that can go create offense and some guys that can break down defenses for you and get things done.

“We’ve never been a staff that wants to joystick the game. We like to teach basketball. We want to see flow. On dead balls, you certainly have a chance to call on guys’ numbers, those type of things. And in the flow of the game, we want to be more lethal. We wanted to get versatility. We didn’t set out to say we’re going to get a point guard or a two guard. Because we look at it a lot like what I think the NBA does today. There are three positions: you’ve got your ball guards, you’ve got your wings, and you’ve got your front line.”

This has to be music to the ears of the Vols’ new additions. Every team has a system, but players are at their best when they can create within the flow of the game. And it certainly sounds like that’s what Barnes will be imploring his team to do this upcoming season.