R.J. Davis is the leader no one is talking about.
He came in with Caleb Love as the “other” guard in the Class of 2020, and he started one-third of the games his freshman year and made about one-third of his shots. He also made about as many turnovers as assists.
Roy Williams retired, and Hubert Davis took over. By the end of a new season that began with Hubert trying to fix the broken parts, improve the good parts and bring in some new parts, the car was running smoothly. R.J. had emerged as the true point guard in a double-front offense. Statistically, he improved every part of his game, some dramatically.
He started all 39 games and averaged 34 minutes. His 2-point shooting went up by nearly 10 percentage points, his 3-pointers by more than four percent. And he was one of three players who made more than 83 percent of their free throws. Davis’ assist-turnover ratio jumped to almost 2-1, second best on the team.
So while Tar Heel Nation waited to hear whether Love and Bacot and Black were coming back, it was pretty much understood that the 6-foot Davis would be the lead guard again with the ability to score 30 points on a big shooting night.
“Man, I’ve been working,” Davis said at the mid-summer press conference, “watching film, perfecting my craft. Making sure my shot’s consistent, tightening up my ball-handling, working on finishing layups. . . being a leader on the court, and extension of a coach on the floor, making sure everyone’s in good spirits.”
UNC will continue to be a work in progress, but the roles are much clearer than in either of Davis’ first two years. Assuming Pete Nance wins the power forward position, the five starters are set with more potential depth.
Playing as a team has long been a staple of the Tar Heels, and Davis has a welcomed cohort in the 6-10 Nance, a four-year starter at Northwestern who comes in with gaudy stats from his senior year in Evanston. Besides averaging more than 14 points and 6 rebounds, Nance finished with 2.5 assists to 1 turnover per game, great for a big man and making him a half-foot taller version of R.J.
Davis doesn’t dare compare Nance to Brady Manek, the last grad transfer who came close to cult-heroism in his one year. But he recognizes how athletic Nance is and how good of a defender and shot blocker he can be.
“He’s a great communicator on the court,” Davis added. “He’s been doing a great job so far. He’s learning a lot from me and I’m learning a lot from him, so that’s a good start.”
For two of the guys who will try to keep that car running smoothly.
Featured image via Todd Melet
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