Now that Andrew Wiggins has finally made his decision (it was Kansas), we can go ahead and officially pencil in the projected North Carolina lineup and rotation.
The question mark coming in was whether Roy Williams would continue small ball. I certainly don’t think he wants to. In fact, I’ve already stated he shouldn’t. With all the size the Tar Heels have returning inside, plus the addition of the new bigs coming in, I just can’t imagine all those trees just sitting on the bench.This season, Roy lives with the bigs or dies with the bigs.
GONE: Reggie Bullock (leaving early) and Dexter Strickland (graduated)
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
G – Marcus Paige (SO), 6-0/160
G – Leslie McDonald (SR), 6-5/215
G – P.J. Hairston (JR), 6-5/220
F – James Michael McAdoo (JR), 6-9/230
F – Brice Johnson (SO), 6-9/190
The good news is the Tar Heels have two of the better players in the ACC. With another year under their belts, both Hairston and McAdoo have an opportunity to lock down first-team All-ACC awards. McAdoo gets more of the props, but he still makes too many mistakes for my taste. Look for Hairston to end up the better of the two, now that he’s removed the one-dimensional label.
Speaking of one-dimensional…that’s one thing Leslie McDonald can’t be this year. So far, his stay in Chapel Hill has been less than impressive (injuries and suspensions have not helped). However, he’s finally getting a chance to start and he’ll need to be the multi-dimensional player he was expected to be coming out of high school. He’ll need to hit over 40-percent from deep and also be able to create his own shot inside.
Of course Marcus Paige’s development is key to Carolina’s success. He turned it over way too much last year and struggled with his outside shot. That’s not a good combination, but it should have been expected from a freshman being asked to carry the load. The fact is, we all can’t be Ty Lawson. With a year to learn from those mistakes, look for Paige to be much improved.
The biggest question mark for this team will remain inside. Right now I have Brice Johnson penciled in. He’s not a true center. In fact, unless he owns the gym this offseason, I’m not sure he can even handle the load inside. However, at times last year, he showed he has the physical tools to run with Roy Williams’ offense, capable of putting some points into the basket. He just needs to add that weight and work on being more consistent.
SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS
G/F – J.P. Tokoto (SO), 6-5/185
PF – Isaiah Hicks (FR), 6-8/210
PG – Nate Britt (FR), 6-1/165
Depth at the wing is going to be a major issue for North Carolina. Right now, the only player they have capable of backing up the 2-3 spots is J.P. Tokoto. He’s a gifted athlete with amazing length. However, he plays like a stretch four. He prefers to work inside, but he has no business being outside (1-11 from three as a freshman). When McDonald needs a break, Hairston will roll to the two-spot, while Tokoto jumps into the three-spot.
Nate Britt is a point guard who lives to facilitate, but he’s not a huge threat to score. He’ll give Paige a breather or two, but don’t be surprised if you see both point guards on the court at the same time for some stretches.
Inside, it’s tough to figure out what Roy Williams will do, although I’ve certainly tried already. Assuming he keeps McAdoo at the power forward spot, that leaves five players to battle for minutes at center and backup McAdoo. Last year, neither James or Hubert impressed me, so I suspect the Carolina coaching staff will give freshman Hicks an opportunity to show them what he can do as the primary big off the bench. Overall, he’s a solid defender, with great length, capable of running the floor. However, like Brice Johnson, he prefers to face the basket and is a bit undersized for the five.
ROLE PLAYERS
C – Joel James (SO), 6-10/260
C – Kennedy Meeks (C), 6-9/275
The reality is, both James and Meeks could easily be placed one spot up. In fact, either one could start at some point this season. These two are the big boys, combining for over 520 pounds. James has the height and size to be a great center, but he’s struggled to develop the back to the basket game. He’s got good speed for his size, but he can’t do the things Johnson and Hicks can do in the open court.
Meeks is sort of a mystery. Against the other high school elites at the McDonald’s game, Meeks looked small and slow. He doesn’t have a ton of leap and it will certainly help if he can turn some of his beef into muscle. However, he arguable has the softest hands of the big boys and might be the best passer from the post. At best though, he’s looking at about 10 minutes per game.
LIMITED ACTION
PF – Desmond Hubert (JR), 6-9/230
SF – Jackie Simmons (JR), 6-7/220
Hubert has the defensive skills, but he’s got zero offensive ability. On another team, he could earn some solid minutes, but with so many big boys at Chapel Hill, someone will need to sit and that’s Hubert. Simmons is a gritty combo forward, with glue-guy potential. Look for him to get his minutes when Williams needs to make a point.
