Rick Barnes evaluates the state of Josiah-Jordan James' game, conditioning

Tennessee senior forward Josiah-Jordan James is a key piece of the Volunteers program. However, he has had an up-and-down season in 2022 as he has missed time with a knee problem and has had to work himself back into the lineup.

Now, after a week where he played 30-plus minutes apiece in wins over Mississippi State and LSU, Rick Barnes said they’re still evaluating his time on the floor during his press conference on Monday. He says it’s a struggle considering James needs to be playing to continue his rehab at this point. As of now, though, he does hope they can bring his minutes back down to under 30 per game.

“I think he would do it just out of sheer toughness. But maybe he’s playing a little bit too much right now?,” said Barnes. “We know we can’t assimilate what he needs for games other than (playing in) games at this time of the year. He’ll keep getting better with that in his conditioning. He’ll do that but, again, everything is game to game. We can talk about the players and, when guys are playing good, we’re gonna ride that wave with them.”

“He’ll play as many minutes as I know that we’ll need him. But I’d like to think we can keep him under 30 if we can,” Barnes said.

James’ minutes have ramped up steadily over his six games since coming back to the lineup against Mississippi State. In that stretch, he has averaged 11.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. He has also shot the ball well at 42.7% from the field and 47.2% from deep. James is also coming off his best game back after posting 22 points, seven rebounds, and three steals on 9-16 shooting from the field, including 4-6 from three, in 31 minutes during Tennessee’s 21-point win over the Tigers.

Still, Barnes wants to ensure James doesn’t miss time again because they played him too much in his return. That’s why, moving forward, they’re hoping to rest him more to save him for the home stretch of the season.