Tigers Transfer Teafale Lenard Jr. Ranked No. 6 Defender in the Country

It’s no secret that Memphis has put together an elite transfer class.

Between Caleb Mills, Jahvon Quinerly and Jordan Brown, it’s easy for fans to forget about a guy like Teafale Lenard Jr.

However, College Basketball Report recently released a list of its top-20 defenders in the country. Lenard came in at No. 6. This should serve as a reminder to Tiger fans that Lenard is just as big of a pickup as any.

What Type of Impact Will Lenard Make?

One word: Defense.

Lenard was one of the best defenders in the country last year, averaging 1.6 steals per game and nearly 2 blocks per contest.

He was not Defensive Player of the Year in his conference was due to Western Kentucky center Jamarion Sharp averaging over 4 blocks a game. Instead he settled for being on the C-USA All-Defensive team.

He had two or more steals in 16 of 33 games he played last season. He recorded two or more blocks in 20 of 33 games.

If that doesn’t scream ELITE defender, I’m not sure what does.

Stat Sheet Stuffer

Although MTSU was a mediocre team at best last season, Lenard was able to put up some pretty impressive individual performances.

I’ll start with what was arguably his best outing of the season. Lenard and the Blue Raiders took a trip down the road to Nashville to take on Belmont. Lenard posted 20 points, 8 rebounds, 6 blocks, 3 steals and 3 assists while shooting a very efficient 9-14 from the field.

Against St. Bonaventure, he put up 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 4 blocks and added a pair of assists.

Need I say more? The dude can flat out fill a stat sheet.

Developing Offensive Game

To this point in his career, most would evaluate Lenard as an elite athlete that can only rim run and defend.

To be fair, that assessment is not totally wrong.  For most of his time in college, he has lacked the ability to consistently shoot the ball.

He shot 23.2% from three-point range last season and 54.5% from the free-throw line. Sources have indicated to the Tiger Blueprint that developing a jump-shot has been the focus of his training this offseason.

If he can even just add five or six percentage points to those areas, it’ll make him a much more effective scorer.