UNC Basketball: Tar Heels in 2019-20 title picture after Justin Pierce pickup

UNC Basketball will be adding the services of William & Mary graduate transfer Justin Pierce according to an announcement from the forward’s Twitter account on Thursday.

“Done.”

That single word, tweeted out by incoming five-star center Armando Bacot, is succinct enough to describe how Roy Williams must feel about the crop of incoming talent that solidifies a promising 2019-2020 roster for UNC Basketball after securing the services of William & Mary’s Justin Pierce on Thursday.

The addition of Pierce completes a 10-day span that was nothing short of amazing for Roy Williams’ Tar Heels, who managed to add 2019 five-star point guard Cole Anthony (No. 3), 2019 four-star combo-guard Anthony Harris (No. 67), and coveted grad transfer Christian Keeling (18.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.8 APG) to a UNC squad that lost four starters and two valuable bench players.

In a detailed announcement coming from the graduate transfer’s personal Twitter account, Pierce noted that North Carolina offered him the best chance of reaching his on-court and off-court goals, more so than the other two finalists (Michigan, Notre Dame) that he was considering.

https://twitter.com/JustinPierce23/status/1123980591949594624

After visiting the university earlier this week (Sunday and Monday), it’s fair to say that whatever the coaching staff and players pitched to the combo-forward was enough for him to commit to UNC and to commit quickly.

The 6-7 forward is coming off of a season in which he was named Third Team All-CAA for the second year in a row, averaging 14.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Leading the Tribe in rebounds and assists, the Illinois native played a unique role in William & Mary’s frontcourt, as he was slotted in as a ‘4’ due to the lack of size on the team.

That likely won’t be the case next season, as the Tar Heels boast a frontcourt with four players listed at 6-9 or taller. Pierce will immediately enter consideration for the starting small forward spot, a role he could steal considering the lack of intermediate height — and experience — on the wing.

An underrated aspect of his commitment is the size he brings as a true small forward: He’s one of two Tar Heels (the other being Rechon Black) that stand between 6-4 and 6-9. Just based on height and length alone, Pierce figures to offer a lot for UNC on the defensive end on the wing, since he theoretically won’t be pushed around like some of the other smaller/thinner guards that UNC figures to play next year.

Pierce’s allure isn’t from the defensive end of the floor, however. While defensive versatility is more of a theoretical proposition based on the team’s construction, his offensive output is far more set in stone.

The 6-7 forward is a fluid athlete capable of putting the ball on the deck and facilitating from all over the court, be it in transition or in the pick-and-roll. He’s quite gifted as a passer considering his size, showing the ability to make drop-offs in the post, nifty pocket passes in the pick-and-roll (96th percentile when hitting the roll-man, per Synergy), one-handed dots to the corners, and an assortment of other moves. He’ll immediately step in as one of the better passers on the team, which is certainly saying something considering the talent that UNC boasts up and down the roster.

Pierce does have some questions left to be answered regarding his perimeter shooting, however. He possesses touch on his jumper, but the consistency just hasn’t been there throughout his three years at William & Mary.

His offensive efficiency saw a huge drop-off between his sophomore and junior seasons, falling from 90th percentile in individually to 63rd percentile, per Synergy. Much of this had to due with an inability to knock down jumpers, as he fell from 89th percentile in spot ups to 37th, failing to cash in on catch-and-shoot attempts throughout the season.

Specifically, Pierce posted subpar percentages of 32.4 percent from deep and 59.0 percent from the charity stripe, percentages that leave much to be desired. Yet, as a sophomore he posted far superior numbers of 41.6 percent from deep and 79.0 percent from the line, suggesting that last season could’ve been an aberration, or at the very least a down year that isn’t entirely representative of who he is as a shooter.

Plus, Pierce should see better looks from deep on a more-talented roster where opposing defenses won’t be keying in on him as much, which should help his percentages climb to a more-respectable clip. This isn’t to say that he’ll develop into a knockdown shooter like the last forward that transferred to UNC (see: Johnson, Cameron), but if his sophomore season is to be any indicator of his shooting abilities, he should be far from a liability from deep.

Playing in the ACC is quite the task for any player, let alone one who will be making the jump up from the one-bid CAA. With that said, Pierce offers a lot that should immediately translate and benefit UNC — positional versatility, great passing, strong rebounding, and perimeter shooting. Pierce will be immersed in a multi-player battle for the two starting spots on the wing, but considering the superior talent (and experience) that he and fellow grad transfer Christian Keeling offer, it’s a fair bet that we’ll be seeing two transfers in the starting lineup next season.

Justin Pierce is, quite simply, a perfect fit for what UNC asks of its wings, and his presence should be felt right away.

Roy Williams somehow managed to make one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball in a mere few days, adding four talented players to an incoming crop of players that had already featured three-star point guard Jeremiah Francis and five-star center Armando Bacot.

With Justin Pierce being the final piece to the 2019-2020 Tar Heel roster, UNC figures to be in prime position to compete for a national championship yet again.