University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: Depth Charge
October 25, 2014 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Turner Walston
by Turner Walston
CHAPEL HILL—The 2014-15 Tar Heels are far from a finished product—to begin Friday's game against Fayetteville State, freshman Justin Jackson and junior Marcus Paige both committed turnovers before the team had a shot attempt—but the materials are there, and the materials are of a very high quality.
Yes, it was an exhibition game against a Division II team. Still, it was their first action against a live opponent, and it's what we have to go on. With that caveat, we can say that, in the second half in particular, the Tar Heels began to show signs of being a very, very good team.
Though there were plenty of offensive highlights, what stood out in particular was not a dunk or a three-pointer from the corner. Freshman Justin Jackson stood out in the box score –18 points and five rebounds– but he had his coming-out party at Late Night. What was most apparent on Friday was the talented depth of the 2014-15 Tar Heels.
Fifteen student-athletes each played at least three minutes on Friday, and 14 scored points (Joel James had four rebounds and a pair of assists in 10 minutes). Jackson, Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson are the freshmen on this team, and their readiness for college basketball along with the maturation of the returning Tar Heels combines to make a deep team that could go far this season.
“Now we have two or three people at every position, so it's a good thing,” Brice Johnson said. “We're probably a more complete team this year than we were last year.”
Last year's energetic sixth man, Johnson is now the starting power forward. He and Jackson join three returning starters (Paige, J.P. Tokoto and Kennedy Meeks) to make a starting lineup that can hurt a defense in multiple ways. Jackson is long at 6'8 but prefers to play outside-in. What kind of player defends him? He'll shoot over the top of a smaller player (Jackson was 3-4 from three-point range on Friday) and he'll gladly take a big man away from the basket to open up the post for his teammates. Meeks is down some 40 pounds and appears to be moving much easier. He was quick to step out on a jump shot and ran the floor more like a Roy Williams big man. Tokoto was the distributor on Friday, handing out eight helpers. And Paige is Paige, though foul trouble limited him in the first half.
But that's just the thing - because of the depth beyond that starting lineup, the Tar Heels said they can afford to be more aggressive defensively, to take chances at creating steals and run-outs. Behind Paige are sophomore Nate Britt and Berry, who played very well together as part of an active second unit. Roy Williams went with those two, Pinson, Isaiah Hicks and James or Desmond Hubert at center off the bench. With that lineup, it's not that Britt is the point guard and Berry is the shooting guard (or vice versa); either is capable of running the offense, and the other can work away from the ball. Even Pinson can start things; once, he was at the point and Berry and Britt crossed paths on the baseline. Pinson found Britt for a jumper.
Late in the game, that lineup made things happen with active hands on defense. “The defense turned their back, and Nate was already at the goal making a lay-up,” Hicks said. “As big men, that's what we're here for: running the court and getting quick plays.” That happened during that stretch as well, when the second unit was working on a full-court press. Berry stole the ball, and because the Broncos had to respect the freshman's driving ability, Hicks was free underneath for a dunk.
Speaking of Hicks, now that Pinson and Jackson are at the wing, the sophomore moves to his natural position at power forward. More than once on Friday he looked at ease backing down a defender and scoring. Perhaps he can be the energetic sixth man that Johnson was, and that second unit can be as versatile as the first.
Limited depth forced the 2013-14 Tar Heels to play through Paige or James Michael McAdoo and thus made them easier to defend. With capable scorers like Jackson and Pinson adding to the mix, this year's team promises to be different.
“Last year we had to do a lot of things out of necessity,” Paige said. “I had to hunt my shot out of necessity. Guys had to play extended minutes that they shouldn't have to with a balanced team with a lot of depth, and I think that allows guys to just do what they do. You don't see Justin or Theo or myself forcing a lot, because we know we're going to get our opportunities, but we're also not going to be asked to do too much, so it's nice to have that balance. I don't think we've had it since I've been here.”
The key now is for Roy Williams to find the right combination, the right balance . Everybody got to play on Friday, and that's not necessarily going to happen as the season ramps up and competition gets tighter. At some point, the team will have to play through Paige, or Jackson, or someone else, and they'll need to recognize that in the moment.
On Friday the Tar Heels did an excellent job sharing the basketball (more than once I wrote 'good ball movement' in my notebook), but they're going to have to keep it up under pressure. Over the course of one more exhibition game and into November, the team will find each other's strengths and begin to play toward them.
“Just do what you can to win,” Johnson said. “It's not about scoring all the time, it's just do what you can to help you're team win. That's all people really want from you, and that's all my teammates want from me.”
The Tar Heels recognize that unselfish play will take them a long way in 2014-15, and Friday was a first step in the right direction.
