North Carolina Basketball: No Kevin Knox for Tar Heels, what now?

Point Guard

Starter – Joel Berry

The Tar Heels will put their team in the hands of the six-foot guard with some wheels. Never heard of that one before…

Never heard of that one before…Raymond Felton…Ty Lawson. No really, the Tar Heels have never had that kind of point guard stick around for their senior season under Roy Williams. They always went pro after their junior season, and a less beat up Berry might have done it too.

Berry steps on the court as the team leader with Pinson as his enforcer. There will be little question of where the ball goes in crunch time or who will be calling the shots. Hopefully, he will have both of his ankles intact when those shots appear.

Backups – Seventh Woods, Jalek Felton

Felton has to intrigue people. That is not just because his name is ‘Felton,’ but because he is 6’4” and considered a five-star recruit by Scout.com. That kind of resume will get Felton some minutes at the one spot during the season. However, his height will also give him time at the two, a benefit that would not have been there if Knox had come on board.

Woods is hard to place at this phase of the game. Playmaking was not his strong suit last year, and the offense definitely looked rudderless while he was on the court. He showed flashes of athleticism at times, but not the three point shot he must acquire. Comparing him and Felton is comparing the known and unknown, which favors Felton only because we don’t know what he is unable to do.

Woods may also get some time at the two in some lineups, and he has to be the biggest winner so far from Knox’s decision to go to Kentucky. Had he not beat out Felton in practice, he may not have seen much action at all.