One of the ACC's scoring leaders may surprise you.
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Just doing a quick check of the ACC scoring leaders after the first week of action and looking at those players averaging more than 20 points per game:
Grayson Allen? Check.
Ben Lammers? Check.
Bonzie Colson? Check.
Deng Adel? Check.
Luke Maye? Wait, what?
| Name | Team | GP | Mins | Pts ▾ | Asts | Rbds | Stls | Blks | TOs | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Maye | UNC | 2 | 32.5 | 23.0 | 2.0 | 9.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 60.7 | 71.4 | 70.0 |
| Justin Bibbs | Virginia Tech | 2 | 34.0 | 22.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 66.7 | 50.0 | 88.9 |
| Tyus Battle | Syracuse | 3 | 29.7 | 22.3 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 53.5 | 38.9 | 77.8 |
| Ahmed Hill | Virginia Tech | 4 | 31.8 | 22.0 | 0.8 | 5.0 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 64.7 | 60.0 | 70.0 |
| Grayson Allen | Duke | 4 | 32.0 | 21.8 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 52.7 | 53.1 | 92.3 |
| Ben Lammers | Georgia Tech | 2 | 38.0 | 21.5 | 1.5 | 11.5 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 63.3 | 0.0 | 83.3 |
| Deng Adel | Louisville | 2 | 36.5 | 20.5 | 3.5 | 6.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 64.0 | 16.7 | 80.0 |
| Bonzie Colson | Notre Dame | 3 | 31.3 | 20.0 | 2.3 | 11.0 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 61.5 | 20.0 | 78.6 |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Virginia Tech | 4 | 27.8 | 19.3 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 53.2 | 45.8 | 76.2 |
| Torin Dorn | NC State | 4 | 31.0 | 18.5 | 1.5 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 63.8 | 22.2 | 60.0 |
| Marvin Bagley III | Duke | 4 | 25.8 | 18.0 | 1.0 | 9.3 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 62.7 | 25.0 | 38.9 |
Maye, the hero of North Carolina's 2017 title run, did not scratch the scorebook in either of the Tar Heels' two Final Four games in Phoenix but has been the leading scorer in the two season-opening games this year. Maye, whose presence in games once drove Carolina fans crazy at Roy Williams' insistence in playing him, has poured in 26 and 20 points, respectively, as UNC has dispatched Northern Iowa and Bucknell, to go along with 9.5 rebounds per game and shooting 71% from three.
In a recent conversation with some veterans of covering UNC basketball, the question was raised: "Luke Maye isn’t THIS good, is he?"
Most any prognostication of UNC's success this season would include getting production from the Tar Heel bigs, Maye among them. Thus far, the 6-8 junior has delivered beyond anyone's expectations, but it shouldn't necesarily come as a surprise. Maye has had flashes of his capability throughout his sophomore campaign, nearly posting a double-double against NC State, grabbing 15 rebounds against Florida State, and solid scoring outings against elite teams like Kentucky and Duke in the regular season. May also shot a very respectable 40% from three for the year. In the NCAA Tournament, Maye was the regional MVP in Memphis, scoring 16 against Butler and 17 against Kentucky to go with 7.5 rebounds per game, but Maye was a non-factor in the Final Four and went back to being a question mark for UNC this season.
And while Maye hasn't put up these numbers against the level of competition he will see in the ACC every night, Bucknell returned all five starters from an NCAA tournament team a year ago and is top-100 in KenPom. Northern Iowa is also top-125, so it's not like this outburst has come against a pair of sub-200 creampuffs.
Of course it has helped that Carolina's freshman bigs, Sterling Manley and Garrison Brooks, have exceeded expectations early as well. Manley is averaging a double-double and Brooks is averaging double digit points and has been solid on the glass as well. Maye, Manley, and Brooks will have to anchor a three-man post rotation that is talented but undersized. And the more that Manley, Brooks, and Brandon Huffman can hold down the five spot, it allows Maye to be a true stretch four.
As one of the insiders said, "Maye still plays below the rim and probably will have trouble vs quicker or bigger big men. But the shooting he has shown so far doesn't look like a fluke. That jumper is really good and he being able to pick and pop gives UNC another scoring option on the perimeter until Cam Johnson gets back." To that point, while fans last season may have cringed when he did it, Maye's 40% three-point shooting clip is certainly good enough to earn him more attempts.
One of the most impressive things, however, is Maye's confidence. Another veteran analyst in that conversation noted that he was taken by the way Maye was carrying himself. "He’s not playing like a guy who will score when you leave him open; he’s playing like a guy who will score when he wants to," the analyst said. He said it would not be a stretch to see Maye become a Doug McDermott-type player.
Perhaps another apt comparison may be to David Noel, a role player and glue guy who emerged as a scorer and team leader in a Carolina post-championship season. The difference this time is that Maye has two seniors in the Tar Heel backcourt in Joel Berry and Theo Pinson that will share the leadership role for this season and cede that mantle to Maye for next year. In the meantime, Maye can continue to provide an unexpected scoring weapon that can stretch defenses, and for now, has Maye in the top 5 in the league in scoring and top-10 in rebounding.
Amazing, indeed.
