Vanderbilt Basketball added another scorer and shot creator in transfer guard/forward Mike James. The acquisition is not without some risk, as James has battled injuries for most of his collegiate career. In the 2021-2022 season, James redshirted after tearing his left Achilles. Most recently, James missed the entire 2023-3024 season due to a knee injury. When he’s been able to be on the court, James has distinguished himself as a versatile scorer who has averaged double figures in scoring (11.3 ppg) his entire college career. Assuming he stays healthy, here’s a breakdown of James and how he might fit into Make Byington’s system:
As a player, Mike James is gritty, steady, hustles, and has a high basketball IQ. James possesses a unique skill set where he can lead the fast break in transition, put the ball on the deck to penetrate in the half court, shoot from beyond the arc, and create shots for his teammates off the dribble.
Let’s start with James’ physicality. A 6 '5', 200 pounds, James is not afraid of contact and plays through the whistle. When opposing players foul James, they better hope that they block his shot or wrap him up. While he does not jump out of the gym, James will move through opposing players to get his shot off and finish at the rim, regardless of who is guarding him. With some savvy ball-handling skills and his strength, James seems to will his way to the basket off the dribble. Now that SEC referees seem to apply the NBA’s shot continuation rules on fouls, Commodores fans can expect several and-ones from James during the 2025-2026 season.
One of the Commodores’ weaknesses on offense last year was prolonged offensive droughts and turnovers in the second half. At times last year, a couple of the Commodores’ primary ball handlers would force shots. The forced shots led to many rough starts to the second half and blown leads in the second half of the season.
With the ball in his hands, James does not seem to panic and is either creating his own shot or setting up one of his teammates. He is not an iso-ball black hole on offense. James plays under control and seems to have a knack for making the right play. Out of the bevy of collegiate players in the portal, James’ highlight reel is unique in that several of his plays are him setting up his teammates to score, usually in the form of a bounce pass into the paint. When James is on the court, Vanderbilt will have another reliable ball handler at its disposal who is comfortable leading a fast break or attacking defenses in the half-court.
On the defensive end, James uses his long arms to his advantage and has shown a knack for disrupting passing lanes and quickly getting his team into transition. Transition basketball is a key component of Mark Byington’s system, and James should be a good fit in this area. James’ most impressive trait on defense is his hustle. James does not give up on plays on defense and is willing to dive on the floor or throw his body around to contest shots, which should quickly endear him to Vanderbilt fans.
Overall, James’ best trait as a player is his ability to create his own shot and score in a variety of ways. Whether it’s off the bounce, beyond the arc (James is a 34.8% career three-point shooter) or from the charity stripe (a career 80.4% free-throw shooter), James knows how to put the ball in the basket. Outside of Jason Edwards, Vanderbilt had difficulty establishing a consistent secondary scorer last season. With the addition of James, the Commodores now have a second or third option on the floor who has consistently scored in double figures in his career.
Projection: Assuming he can stay healthy, James will likely begin next season as Vanderbilt’s sixth man and will compete for a starting role. Due to his chameleon skill set, Byington will have a hard time keeping James off the floor next season. With James on its roster, Vanderbilt will have the secondary scoring that proved elusive at times last season. Regardless of whether he starts, if healthy, James will find his way into the box score in the 2025-2026 season.
