How does TJ Power fit into Virginia men’s basketball’s lineup?

TJ Power enters his first season in Charlottesville after transferring from ACC-foe Duke in the off-season. Power played a limited role throughout his time in Durham but figures to be an integral part of this Virginia Cavaliers team in 2024-25.

Coming out of high school, Power was tabbed as a five-star recruit and the 17th best prospect in the 2023 recruiting class. UVA was aggressive and very much in the cards throughout his recruiting process, making his final five alongside Duke, North Carolina, Iowa, and Boston College before ultimately deciding on the Blue Devils.

As a former blue-chip recruit and having already experienced the grind that is ACC basketball, there are plenty of reasons to be encouraged about Power this season.

The clear and obvious reason to be excited about the addition of Power is his shooting. At Duke, he averaged just 2.1 points per game and a sparse 6.7 minutes per game. But he did connect on 15-of-42 threes, ending the season at 35%. Now, in a potential starting role with the ‘Hoos, expect his volume to increase substantially. Beyond that, I think it’s likely we see more of what he can offer offensively than he was able to show as a freshman.

Watching his tape, it’s impressive how little space he needs to get off his shots. In the clip below, there are multiple instances where defenders decide to briefly show off of Power and give him just enough space to knock down threes.

If Power forces defenses to need to stay home and help less to ball-handlers, UVA’s guards will have plenty of space to get downhill and attack the rim. Playing alongside a crafty point guard like Dai Dai Ames only enhances how the ‘Hoos can get after opposing defenses.

At Duke, Power was used mainly as a spot up shooter around a handful of ball-dominant guards. While he’ll surely be used to space the floor for the ‘Hoos, he has the ability to score as a midrange shooter and use his length to get to the rack on straight-line drives.

He’ll be much more of a focal point offensively for UVA than he was in Durham and, hopefully for Cavaliers fans, a stable scoring presence to help avoid the all too common droughts we saw last season.

At 6-foot-9, 221 pounds, Power can be a threat running off of screens as well as setting them. Since Ron Sanchez was tabbed as the interim coach, it seems Virginia will look to play more “small-ball” this season which means Power could slot in as a frontcourt option given his size and rebounding ability.

His interchangeability is great for this offense. He’s athletic enough to slip to the basket off of defensive switches and an effective enough shooter to pop off of picks and hit shots. Think of a guy like Sam Hauser, who had similar size and shooting strengths.

Combine that with working with a guy like McKneely on the same side of the floor and it puts substantial pressure on defenses needing to respect them both as scorers.

It’s been a crazy last few weeks for the program with the shocking news of Tony Bennett’s retirement and now the recent departure of Jalen Warley to the transfer portal. In a season that will be unlike we’ve seen the last 15 years, leadership within the locker room will be critical.

Though Power has yet to step on the floor in a Cavalier jersey, it seems he is already cementing himself as an invaluable leader helping keep this group focused as the season nears.

By his account, it seems the team is using Coach Bennett’s retirement to gel even closer and hopefully we see that chemistry show itself on the floor as the ‘Hoos open the season on Wednesday against Campbell.