UNC Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for the Tar Heels

Key Reserves

Leaky Black

After missing a chunk of his freshman season with a nagging right ankle sprain — that lasted well into the offseason and preseason — the 6-foot-8 do-it-all point-forward is back and ready to play a vital role for the Tar Heels. With Brandon Robinson going down, Black will likely be the replacement in the starting lineup for the first few weeks of the season. Given what he flashed with an increased role in last week’s exhibition (nine points, five rebounds, seven assists, one steal, one block), Black’s defensive and offensive versatility could make him a mainstay in the starting lineup, even when Robinson returns. Regardless, he’ll look to be a big part of Carolina’s offense this year.

Justin Pierce

The other grad-transfer on the roster, the 6-foot-7 forward from William & Mary offers valuable lineup flexibility off the bench, as he can come in at either forward spots. Based on substitution patterns in Friday’s exhibition, Pierce looks to be the first “big” off the bench to replace one of Brooks or Bacot. He’ll play a lesser role than what he manned as a member of the Tribe (14.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists), but his complementary playstyle will mesh well with whoever he’s on the court with.

Andrew Platek

As a sophomore, the 6-foot-4 guard only played 3.7 minutes per game. This year? Expect that to change. Although the minute allocations from last week’s scrimmage aren’t totally indicative of how the nightly rotation will shake out, Platek’s 23 minutes still show that he’ll be a fixture in the 2019-20 rotation as one of the few guys coach Williams trusts to play. With so many injuries on the roster, the junior two-guard will see real minutes off the bench, where his spot-up shooting and new-found aggression will come in handy.

Brandon Huffman & Walker Miller

With junior center Sterling Manley out of the picture for the foreseeable future with his left knee soreness not going away, coach Williams will have no choice but to turn to Brandon Huffman and Walker Miller to seek backup center minutes. The inexperienced duo only played a total of 97 minutes last year: For Huffman, those came in break-in-case-of-emergency minutes whenever Williams was angry with the main rotation; for Miller, he was glued to the bench save for bench-emptying blowouts.

If either player is to effectively play as the backup center, Huffman’s discipline and awareness must improve, and Miller must get stronger and not shy away from contact. As of right now, Williams only feels comfortable going 8-deep … and one of those players was Robinson, who’s now out. Brooks and Bacot will receive a majority of minutes at center, but Huffman and Miller could provide breathers if necessary.

Sterling Manley, Anthony Harris, Jeremiah Francis

Unfortunately for UNC, this trio was seen donning suits at Friday’s exhibition, with Manley still dealing with his knee issues and the two freshman guards still rehabilitating from high school injuries. While it seems like Manley could be out long-term, it does seem like Harris and Francis — who I’ve profiled here and here — will crack the rotation at some point, given where they’re at in the recovery process. The health of all three players is crucial to the team’s success, since Manley is the team’s only viable backup center and the two freshman guards can provide reliable shooting and playmaking in limited roles.