Periodically a basketball player will come along who defies gravity and out of no where merely dunks on everyone bringing the crowd both home and away to their feet to show respect for the athleticism they just witnessed. JP Tokoto falls into this category which often overshadowed the growth we saw from his freshman to sophomore year.
Prior to last season we said JP Tokoto needed to improve in the following ways:
- Improve on the defensive side of the ball
- Improve free throw shooting
- Improve shot selection
There are a few areas JP Tokoto needs to improve upon to help North Carolina make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
Tokoto became UNC’s best defender on the perimeter last season as he was selected to the all ACC defensive team and nevertheless to continue seeing playing time or maintain his starting role Tokoto has to be that lock down defender for North Carolina. His shooting improved last year however with incoming scorer Justin Jackson, Tokoto’s defensive versatility will be the leading factor in determining his place in the rotation.
Tokoto shot 50% from the foul line this season yet that was improvement from a freshman year where the forward shot only 38%. With an off season working with Hubert Davis if Tokoto can just move his average into the mid to high sixties that will be satisfactory.
Tokoto shot 48% from the floor and 22% from behind the three point arc. If ever there was a time for Roy Williams to have the Jackie Manual conversation with a current player it is Tokoto. Although he did not hoist up threes the way Manual did as a freshman the numbers speak for themselves. Tokoto does not have to knock down threes to be effective in this offense. If he can continue to build his mid range game the threat of him driving to the basket and turning someone into a highlight reel with free him for open looks.
The Tar Heels have enough fire power on offense to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament however an element I am concerned about most heading into 2014-2015 campaign is who will bring that toughness to the table required to when a championship? James Michael McAdoo was that type of leader last year all while being criticized week in and week out about his offensive struggles. McAdoo was never shy from taking a charge or pulling a teammate aside.
Tokoto can certainly rise above the rim, but more importantly can he rise to being one of the main leaders for this year’s team?
