Azubuike24;1443026 wrote:Tokoto is a major question mark. I've seen some UNC fans sky high on him...others think he will never be a starter.
IMO though, I think P.J. Hairston may end up the best 2-guard they have had under Roy. Better than Wayne Ellington and Rashad McCants.
While UNC has no great center, neither does Kansas, Duke and many other contenders. I'm really not sure you need a 5 who can do more than rebound and foul under Roy.
I'd put UNC right at 8-10 in the rankings. In that same group with Florida, Arizona, Michigan, Syracuse, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, etc...
At the point, I think Paige is gonna be very solid. He was playing very well at the end of last season, and he'll only get better. Nate Britt is a court general, and can also push the tempo, so he should be solid enough to play a few minutes and give Marcus a rest.
Like you said, Hairston could be very special. He was very good at the end of last season, and he certainly has the potential to be an All-American candidate, in my opinion. I think McDonald will be the other starter on the wing. He has proven to be a decent shooter, but he doesn't offer much more than that offensively. Tokoto is as athletic as they come, but he's not much of a shooter. Hopefully his offensive skill set improves over the summer. He's a four-year player, but by the time he's done at Carolina, I think he'll be pretty good. The lack of depth on the wing is what concerns me the most about this team.
McAdoo will be back to playing the 4, and should be much more comfortable in that spot. He wasn't healthy for much of last season, and he was playing out of position, but still averaged about 15 and 7. I think he'll be even better this season, maybe even able to live up to the expectations he had when he arrived in Chapel Hill. Maybe I'm expecting too much from him, but I think that potential is there.
There are plenty of post players, but which one of them will step up? Isaiah Hicks might be the rebounder/shot blocker that Carolina needs, and his offensive game could potentially be pretty good. Brice Johnson can score the basketball, but it's simply a matter of him bulking up enough to play consistently inside. Joel James is a great physical presence, but his skill set is very raw. Desmond Hubert is a good defender, and a decent rebounder, but he also needs to get stronger. Meeks, if he gets in shape, could be a nice player, but I think it'll take him at least a year to be effective. I suppose Jackson Simmons could contribute a few minutes here or there as well.
Overall, I think Carolina is gonna be very good at PG, SG, and PF. McDonald/Tokoto will have to be at least average for this team to have any chance at competing on the national stage, and it might be big man by committee at the 5 spot and backing up McAdoo, but there are certainly plenty of options.