North Carolina has plenty of scoring talent heading into the new season, but one major question could determine just how dangerous this roster becomes: Who deserves the biggest offensive roles?
Michael Malone’s first roster at North Carolina has no shortage of players who know how to put the ball in the basket. The Tar Heels have brought in several players who carried significant offensive responsibilities at their previous schools, creating an intriguing collection of scoring ability, experience and potential.
But having a roster filled with scorers does not automatically guarantee an efficient offense.
In fact, it could create an entirely different problem.
When several players arrive accustomed to taking a large number of shots, the challenge becomes determining who should continue receiving those opportunities and who needs to adjust to a different role. For Malone, establishing that offensive hierarchy could be one of the most important tasks of his first season in Chapel Hill.
Terrence Brown is perhaps the clearest example.
Brown comes to North Carolina from Utah after averaging nearly 20 points per game last season. He was heavily involved in Utah’s offense and was trusted to create and finish possessions at a high volume. That experience is valuable, but it also raises a critical question: Will Brown be as effective if his shot volume changes at North Carolina?
That question could become one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Tar Heels early in the season.
UNC Has Plenty of Players Who Can Score
Brown isn’t the only newcomer arriving in Chapel Hill with a proven offensive résumé.
Recent addition and likely starting center Cameron Fens averaged 14.4 points per game at South Dakota, while Neoklis Avdalas averaged 12.1 points per game at Virginia Tech.
Several other transfers also arrive from programs where they were expected to play major offensive roles.
That gives Malone an intriguing problem.
On paper, having multiple players who have already demonstrated the ability to score should be viewed as a positive. But basketball is not simply about putting as many high-volume scorers on the floor as possible.
Those players have to fit together.
They have to understand when to attack, when to pass, when to move without the ball and, perhaps most importantly, when to allow another player to take control.
That’s why offensive efficiency becomes so important.
The Statistics Behind Terrence Brown
The numbers provide an interesting look at what North Carolina could be dealing with.
Five of the Tar Heels’ newcomers averaged at least seven field-goal attempts per game last season, but their efficiency levels varied considerably.
Brown averaged 15.4 field-goal attempts per game, more than any other transfer coming to North Carolina. However, according to CBB Analytics, he posted a 48.6% effective field-goal percentage.
That number should not be interpreted as an indictment of Brown.
Quite the opposite.
His high shot volume demonstrates how much responsibility Utah placed on his shoulders.
When a player is taking more than 15 shots per game, he is naturally going to have more opportunities to make mistakes, take difficult shots and attempt possessions that other players might otherwise handle.
The bigger question is what happens when Brown moves into a roster with more offensive talent around him.
If Malone reduces Brown’s shot attempts, could his efficiency increase?
That is one of the most fascinating possibilities.
Imagine Brown moving from 15 or 16 attempts per game to something closer to 10 or 12 while receiving cleaner opportunities and playing alongside teammates capable of creating offense.
That could potentially make him a much more efficient scorer.
Neoklis Avdalas Brings Another Question
Former Virginia Tech guard Neoklis Avdalas presents a similar but slightly different situation.
Avdalas averaged 10.8 field-goal attempts per game at Virginia Tech last season, but his 46% effective field-goal percentage was the lowest among the transfer players coming to North Carolina in the comparison.
Again, the number requires context.
A player’s efficiency can be influenced by his role, supporting cast, shot selection and the quality of opportunities he receives.
A player who has to create difficult shots late in possessions at one school may look completely different when surrounded by better offensive options at another.
That means Malone should not necessarily look at Avdalas’ previous efficiency and decide that his role must be reduced.
Instead, the coaching staff has to determine why the efficiency was where it was and whether the circumstances that produced those numbers will exist in Chapel Hill.
That’s where coaching becomes critical.
Not Every Transfer Has the Same Efficiency Problem
The contrast becomes even more interesting when looking at players who were able to combine significant shot volume with stronger efficiency.
Angelo Brizzi, who comes from Buffalo, averaged 9.5 field-goal attempts per game while shooting 55.5% on effective field goals.
Cameron Fens also posted encouraging numbers, averaging 10.0 attempts per game while shooting 57.9% from the field.
Those numbers could make the offensive hierarchy even more complicated.
If Brown has the experience of being a primary scorer, Avdalas has experience creating offense, Brizzi has demonstrated efficiency and Fens brings scoring ability from the center position, who should be the first option?
And who should be the second?
Those decisions could ultimately shape the identity of this North Carolina team.
Why Offensive Hierarchy Matters
The most dangerous thing for the Tar Heels would be having a roster full of players who are individually talented but collectively uncertain about their roles.
Every player doesn’t need to have the same number of shots.
Every player doesn’t need to be a primary scorer.
And every player doesn’t need to recreate the role they had at their previous school.
In fact, North Carolina could become significantly better if some of these players accept smaller offensive workloads.
A player who previously needed 15 shots to score 20 points may be able to score 15 points on 10 or 11 better-quality attempts in a more balanced offense.
That would be a major win for Malone.
The challenge is convincing players that fewer shots don’t necessarily mean a smaller impact.
A player can influence a game through efficiency, defense, rebounding, passing and smart decision-making just as much as through raw scoring volume.
Brown Could Be the Biggest Test
Brown’s situation will be particularly fascinating to monitor.
He averaged 15.4 field-goal attempts per game last season, which tells you just how heavily his previous team relied on him.
But North Carolina may not need him to operate that way.
If Malone establishes a clear hierarchy, Brown could potentially receive better shots rather than simply more shots.
That’s a significant distinction.
If Brown takes 10–13 shots per game and consistently converts those opportunities at an effective rate above 50%, it could be a sign that Malone has successfully found the right role for him.
On the other hand, if Brown continues taking 15 or more shots per game while remaining below 50% efficiency, questions about shot selection and offensive hierarchy will become much louder.
Neither scenario is guaranteed.
But it is exactly the kind of storyline that could tell us a great deal about North Carolina’s offense.
The Tar Heels Have Talent. Now They Need Structure.
There is little question that North Carolina has assembled a roster capable of scoring.
The bigger question is whether all of that scoring talent can function within one offensive system.
That’s where Malone’s job becomes extremely important.
He must identify which players can create efficiently, which players are best suited to finish plays, which players should initiate possessions and which players can make an impact without demanding the ball.
The answer may not become obvious immediately.
It could take several games for the coaching staff to understand how these players fit together.
But the earlier Malone establishes those roles, the better positioned the Tar Heels will be.
A team with multiple offensive weapons can become extremely difficult to defend when everyone understands their responsibilities.
The opposite can also be true.
If too many players believe they should be the primary option, possessions can become stagnant, shot selection can suffer and the offense can lose its rhythm.
The Real Question Isn’t Who Can Score
That’s ultimately what makes this North Carolina roster so intriguing.
The question isn’t whether these players can score.
They can.
Brown has already demonstrated that he can carry a heavy offensive workload.
Avdalas has experience creating shots.
Fens has proven capable of scoring from the center position.
Brizzi has shown an intriguing combination of volume and efficiency.
But now they have to prove that they can fit together.
For North Carolina, success may depend less on discovering who can score 20 points and more on discovering who should be trusted to take the shot when the game is on the line.
That distinction could define the Tar Heels’ season.
If Malone establishes a clear offensive hierarchy early, North Carolina could transform its collection of individual scorers into a balanced and efficient attack.
If he doesn’t, the Tar Heels could find themselves with a roster full of players accustomed to having the ball — and not enough clarity about who should actually have it.
That is the major offensive question facing North Carolina.
And when the season begins, keep a particularly close eye on **Terrence Brown’s shot volume and efficiency**.
If his attempts fall while his efficiency rises, Malone may have found the formula.
If Brown continues taking 15-plus shots every night while struggling to reach 50% efficiency, the conversation could quickly become very different.
Ultimately, the difference between this
North Carolina team simply being talented and becoming a legitimate postseason threat may come down to one thing:
Not who can score — but who Malone trusts to score when it matters most.
