UNC Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Tar Heels

Projected starters

Coby White
White may be the most important to Carolina’s success in 2018-19. He’ll be tasked with replacing Joel Berry despite not being a true point guard. However, he spent almost all of his high school career as the primary ball-handler and has a special kind of scoring ability (21.6 ppg on the Nike EYBL circuit last summer). As long as he takes care of the ball, he’ll make UNC’s offense even more dynamic.

Kenny Williams
Williams is an athletic shooter and is one of the best “3-and-D” players in the country. How important is his offensive production to the Tar Heels? UNC went 4-7 in games in which Williams scored fewer than 10 points last season compared to 22-4 in games in which he scored double-figures. They need him to play well.

Nassir Little
Why is Little such a highly-rated prospect? There isn’t anything he can’t do on the court. At 6-6 and 220 pounds, Little has ideal size, strength, and athleticism on the wing. He’s a versatile offensive threat who can create his own shot but is also a lockdown defender and has drawn comparisons to Kawhi Leonard. Little is the kind of player who can win a game by himself – and will on multiple occasions.

Cameron Johnson
It took some time for the Pitt transfer to adjust to his new team last year but the 6-9, 210-pounder settled in nicely and became a major threat on the perimeter. Johnson proved he could be a better rebounder than anticipated (4.7 per game) but will be on the court for his shooting abilities as a stretch four.

Luke Maye
Maye had the breakout season of all breakout seasons as a junior, raising his averages from 5.5 ppg and 3.9 rpg to 16.9 ppg and 10.1 rpg, becoming a National Player of the Year candidate in the process. I don’t know how much more Maye can add to his game given his limited athleticism, but he’s UNC’s best shooter (43.1 percent from three), rebounder, and has a wide array of post moves. Expect him to average a double-double again.