One of the biggest reasons for the second-half success for the UNC basketball program last season was the play of junior year guard [autotag]RJ Davis[/autotag].
The then sophomore, not only took on the point guard role for the Tar Heels, but he also became the best playmaker for this North Carolina team that began to exploit opponents with the guard tandem of Davis and Caleb Love in ball-screen action.
That was on full display in the Round of 32 matchup with Baylor when Davis had 30 points, five rebounds and six assists. While the Tar Heels were down a few players due to ejection and fouls, Davis took over the game and was unstoppable leading UNC to the win.
Now, that confidence that Davis had at the end of the season has been taken to another level as the season-opener is quickly approaching.
“My confidence is like through the roof right now,” Davis said on Wednesday at ACC Media Day. “I’ve been working on my consistency from my jump shot, being a playmaker, being the leader this team needs, and just being a natural point guard. I mean, I’ve been doing that my whole life, being a point guard my whole life, so this is nothing different. But I think my confidence has definitely risen from my freshman year to now being a junior.”
Davis averaged 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last year while shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three.
While his jumper is deadly, his ability to use the ball screen and get downhill, turning the corner on his defender is even better.
Though teammates like Armando Bacot and Caleb Love may get a lot of the national attention, Davis is the most important player for this Carolina team.
With less than four weeks until the start of the season, Davis made it well-known what his expectations are for this year — ‘championship or bust’.
If Davis takes his play up another level this upcoming season, the Tar Heels could very well be the ones cutting down the net at the end of the season.
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