North Carolina’s record says everything is fine.
The eye test says almost the same thing.
But the most important position in basketball keeps whispering a different story.
At 12–1, North Carolina owns its best start since the 2008–09 national championship season. The Tar Heels have beaten quality opponents, navigated injuries, and shown a versatility that simply didn’t exist a year ago. They are bigger, longer, faster, and more physically imposing across the frontcourt. The Caleb Wilson–Henri Veesaar–Jarin Stevenson trio has given UNC something it hasn’t consistently had in years: lineup flexibility without sacrificing size or skill.
And yet, for all the progress, for all the wins, there remains a quiet tension hovering over the offense.
Who is really running this team?
That question matters because basketball history — especially North Carolina basketball history — is clear on one thing: when the point guard situation is settled, everything else follows. When it isn’t, even great teams eventually hit a ceiling.
Right now, UNC’s point guard picture is productive enough to win games, but inconsistent enough to raise eyebrows. And as ACC play looms, that unresolved tension could either become a strength through internal competition — or a fault line opponents will relentlessly attack.
The offseason plan: spend big, fix the perimeter
Last offseason was about intentional correction. Hubert Davis and the UNC staff identified three major needs after a frustrating campaign: perimeter shooting, on-ball defense, and roster versatility. They attacked the transfer portal with purpose, adding players who could shoot, switch, and defend across multiple positions.
On paper, the plan worked beautifully.
The Tar Heels are deeper. They’re more athletic. They’re better equipped to handle modern college basketball’s spacing and pace. The frontcourt, once a source of anxiety, has become a weapon. Wilson’s emergence has changed how opponents guard UNC, Veesaar brings skill and intelligence in the middle, and Stevenson gives the lineup elasticity on both ends.
But basketball isn’t played on paper. It’s orchestrated possession by possession, and orchestration starts at point guard.
Kyan Evans: the obvious answer that hasn’t quite fit
When UNC landed Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans, it looked like the cleanest solution imaginable. Evans averaged over 10 points per game last season, shot better than 44 percent from three, and had proven he could run an offense efficiently. He wasn’t flashy, but he was supposed to be steady — the kind of plug-and-play guard Hubert Davis could trust immediately.
Instead, Evans’ season has been a study in diminishing returns.
Through nonconference play, he’s averaging 5.8 points and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 37.5 percent from the field and just 30 percent from beyond the arc. December has been even more concerning: 3.3 points per game on 30.7 percent shooting overall and 25 percent from three.
The most alarming statistic isn’t even a shooting percentage. It’s this: Evans hasn’t attempted a single free throw in December.
For a point guard, that’s a red flag. It suggests passivity. It suggests hesitation. It suggests a player thinking instead of reacting.
Evans hasn’t been unplayable — far from it. He still defends, still moves the ball, still understands spacing. But his confidence has waned, and with it, his minutes. When UNC’s offense stagnates, it often traces back to Evans’ inability to pressure the defense off the dribble.
For a team built around ball movement and paint touches, that limitation matters.
Why the point guard question won’t go away
UNC’s offense doesn’t need a hero. It needs a conductor.
The Tar Heels are at their best when the ball moves side to side, when shooters are confident, and when bigs are fed in rhythm rather than desperation. That requires a lead guard who can dictate tempo, recognize mismatches, and apply pressure without forcing shots.
So far, Evans hasn’t consistently done that. And because he hasn’t, alternatives are no longer theoretical — they’re necessary.
Seth Trimble: the stabilizer UNC didn’t know it missed
Seth Trimble’s return from injury changed the feel of this team almost immediately.
In just four nonconference games, Trimble is averaging 14.5 points and 3.7 assists, numbers that reflect both efficiency and assertiveness. More importantly, he looks comfortable. Calm. In control.
Trimble isn’t a traditional point guard by label, but basketball doesn’t care about labels. It cares about who can manage possessions. Trimble can.
He understands spacing. He knows when to push and when to slow down. He attacks the rim with purpose, forcing defenses to collapse, and he doesn’t overdribble when help arrives. His decision-making reflects experience — which makes sense, given that he’s in his fourth year at the same program, a rarity in the modern era.
After UNC’s Dec. 20 win over Ohio State, Hubert Davis emphasized how much freer the Tar Heels looked in transition. That wasn’t coincidence. Trimble’s presence speeds up decision-making without speeding up chaos.
The question is whether Davis is willing to lean fully into Trimble as a primary ball-handler — and whether doing so sacrifices something defensively or rotationally elsewhere.
Derek Dixon: the quiet case that’s getting louder
While Evans struggles and Trimble stabilizes, Derek Dixon has quietly built a compelling argument of his own.
Mostly coming off the bench, Dixon has averaged 5.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on the season while shooting 42 percent from the field and an impressive 45.5 percent from three. In December, those numbers have improved: 6.3 points, 2.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 41.1 percent from deep.
But again, the hidden value shows up at the free-throw line.
Dixon has attempted eight free throws in December, converting seven of them. That willingness to attack matters. It creates pressure. It changes defensive priorities.
Dixon isn’t flashy, but he plays with intent. He doesn’t disappear within the flow of the game. And perhaps most importantly, his minutes have increased as his production has followed.
If UNC wants aggression, efficiency, and composure from the lead guard spot, Dixon has earned his place in the conversation.
The ripple effect of an unsettled point guard
Point guard uncertainty doesn’t just affect one position. It affects everything.
When the ball-handler hesitates, shooters hesitate. When the offense bogs down, bigs become spectators. When late-clock situations arise, roles blur.
UNC’s assist numbers tell the story. When the Tar Heels play connected basketball, they average over 18 assists per game. When they don’t — notably against Michigan State and Gonzaga — that number drops into the low teens, and the offense becomes fragmented.
That fragmentation doesn’t always show up in the final score in November and December. It will in January and February.
ACC play will force answers
Nonconference success allows for experimentation. ACC play demands resolution.
Opponents will scout tendencies. They will pressure Evans. They will force Trimble to make reads. They will test Dixon’s poise in hostile environments. And they will attack any indecision UNC shows at the point of attack.
That doesn’t mean UNC is flawed. It means UNC is unfinished.
The encouraging part is that this isn’t a talent problem. It’s a fit problem. And fit problems can be solved.
What Hubert Davis must decide
Hubert Davis doesn’t need to pick a single answer forever. He needs to establish trust and clarity.
That might mean:
Evans regaining confidence and reasserting himself
Trimble becoming the primary ball-handler in key stretches
Dixon earning more consistent minutes as a secondary creator
Or some combination of all three, depending on matchup and game flow
But what can’t continue indefinitely is uncertainty.
The best UNC teams have always known who they were late in games. That identity starts at the point guard position.
Why this is a good problem — for now
UNC is 12–1 for a reason. The foundation is real. The roster works. The ceiling is high.
The point guard question isn’t a sign of weakness — it’s a sign of competition. The challenge is ensuring competition leads to clarity, not confusion.
Because at some point soon, the record won’t matter as much as the answers.
And the most important position in Chapel Hill is still waiting for one.
