A major need for Lady Vols basketball has already been filled out of the transfer portal with the commitment of point guard Destinee Wells.

Wells wasn’t the only shakeup to Tennessee’s point guard group. Sophomore Brooklynn Miles entered the portal Tuesday and Jasmine Powell announced last week she would return for her fifth year. That brings the Lady Vols roster up to 11 players going into the 2023-24 season.

Nothing is set in stone, but Tennessee coach Kellie Harper feels good about the 10 returners on the roster.

“(We’re) really excited about them,” Harper said Wednesday. “They’re dedicated, we’ve been in individual meetings, we’ve been in team meetings and start workouts next week.”

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Harper feels good about the core of 10 returners Tennessee has right now, but they’re still recruiting out of the portal.

“We’re still looking to see what makes sense for us,” Harper said. “I wish I could tell you exactly what we’re going to do, but things change daily. I’ll tell you, every single day, multiple times per day, we’re looking into the portal to see what fits us and hopefully, by the end of the month or so, we’ll have a solid roster for next year.

“As we continue to recruit, it will be pieces that allow us to be our best and to hopefully realize some championships.”

What needs does Tennessee still need to address?

Wells “checks off a lot of boxes,” Harper said, but the Lady Vols still need more guard depth.

Tennessee needs to find another player or two to help replace the production from Jordan Horston, who declared for the WNBA draft. Horston was the best rebounder on the team, one of the best individual defenders and a great secondary playmaker. Tennessee is also losing Jordan Walker, another of its best perimeter defenders.

Defense and rebounding are the most important gaps to fill with Horston and Walker’s departures when looking at guards to add to the roster. Defense was Tennessee’s weakness this season after it lost 6-foot-6 center Tamari Key, who will be back in 2023-24. But improving perimeter defense overall will be beneficial for the Lady Vols, who only get Key for one more season. Tennessee was able to improve collectively in rebounding after losing Key, but Horston was a big part of that with a career-high 247 boards this season.

Offensively, Tennessee needs guards who have the ability to create their own shot, shoot off screens and change pace to attack the paint.

Depending on how many players Harper wants to carry on next season’s roster, it also would be beneficial to add another forward. Key, Rickea Jackson and Jillian Hollingshead will be focal points of next season’s post group, but finding an elite rebounder to add into the mix would be helpful if the staff can’t get that from a guard.

Who on the roster needs to make a jump over the summer?

Harper said she could make a case for every player on the roster needing to take a step this offseason – even leading scorer Rickea Jackson.

“Whether that’s the physical shape they’re in, the skill set, their confidence – I think there’s just a lot of things that can be and need to be addressed in this offseason for improvement,” Harper said Wednesday.

Hollingshead took significant steps this season, but she largely played at the five. Being able to take advantage of her versatility and play her at the same time as Key would be an incredible lineup for Tennessee. Finding a rhythm offensively with the pair and having Hollingshead become a more consistent rebounder will be key.

Tennessee’s guard depth can also be helped by Justine Pissott and Kaiya Wynn making jumps this summer. For Pissott, adjusting to the college level was challenging her freshman season.

Pissott, a 6-4 wing, played only 6.9 minutes per game in 27 appearances. Defense will be Pissott’s biggest area of improvement, as well as finding her place within the offense. She has parking lot range as a 3-point shooter, and has shown flashes of her pull-up jumper from midrange.

Wynn is one of Tennessee’s best defenders and has great size for a guard at 6-0. She’s a great rebounder, especially on the offensive end, but she has to be more consistent offensively. Wynn found success in Tennessee’s NCAA second round win over Toledo, scoring eight points on 4-for-6 shooting in nine minutes played. If she can continue to develop offensively and find her shots within Tennessee’s system, she could see a jump in minutes next season.