The eleventh installment of the annual Locked On Tar Heels basketball roster preview series turns to a player who occupies a unique place on North Carolina’s dramatically reconstructed roster: Jarin Stevenson.
After previews of freshmen Maximo Adams, Sayon Keita, Malloy Smith and Kevin Thomas; sophomores Matt Able, Neoklis Avdalas, Cade Bennerman and Isaiah Denis; junior Alexandros Samodurov; and senior Terrence Brown, Stevenson takes center stage as UNC’s lone returning starter. That distinction alone makes his fourth college season significant.
Stevenson spent his first two seasons at Alabama before coming home to Chapel Hill last year, and while he has shown plenty of the ability that once made him a five-star prospect, consistency has remained elusive. Now the 6-foot-10, 220-pound forward gets another opportunity — this time under new head coach Michael Malone. And Malone clearly sees something important in Stevenson.
Jonathan Adams joined Locked On Tar Heels and pointed to Malone’s desire to retain Stevenson as evidence of his potential importance to the new-look Tar Heels. Stevenson’s positional size, length and ability to defend multiple positions make him a natural fit for the defensive identity Malone wants to establish.
Stevenson can conceivably play the 3, 4 or 5, although Adams would prefer to see the Chapel Hill native spend most of his minutes at his more natural power-forward position. Defensively, his versatility might be his greatest strength. Stevenson can navigate screens, use his length to disrupt passing lanes and switch onto different types of offensive players.
Offensively, the biggest question remains his shooting.
Stevenson has hovered around 30% from three throughout his college career and shot roughly 29% last season. Finding a way into the mid-30s would dramatically change both his individual ceiling and what UNC can do offensively. But the conversation went well beyond simply making more 3s.
Adams highlighted Stevenson’s footwork around the basket, ability to run the floor and potential as a straight-line driver. Stevenson also shot a career-best 74.2% from the free-throw line last season while attempting 2.7 free throws per game. Getting that number closer to four attempts per night could be another avenue toward becoming a more productive offensive player.
Rebounding is equally important.
Stevenson showed during stretches last season that he can elevate his production when UNC needs more from him, including a period in which his rebounding climbed to around six per game. The challenge now is producing that type of effort consistently rather than only when circumstances demand it. That fits perfectly with perhaps the defining theme of Stevenson’s preview: let your game be loud.
Stevenson has never been the most vocal personality, but leadership does not necessarily require becoming someone he isn’t. With so many new teammates surrounding him, the hometown senior can lead through his preparation, defensive effort, rebounding, physicality and willingness to do the less glamorous work.
Adams even offered Stevenson a former Tar Heel to study: Jawad Williams. The comparison isn’t meant to be exact, but Williams’ combination of inside-out offense, physicality, versatility and reliable perimeter shooting provides an intriguing blueprint.
The competition for Stevenson’s minutes will be legitimate. Adams believes his floor could be a 10-to-15-minute reserve role if players such as Samodurov or Maximo Adams move ahead of him. The ceiling, however, remains enticing: 25-plus minutes per game, a locked-down starting role at the 4 and the long-awaited unlocking of his five-star potential. For his bold prediction, Adams picked Stevenson to keep the starting power-forward job throughout the season.
Locked On Tar Heels host Isaac Schade went considerably more specific: Stevenson finishes as Carolina’s third-leading scorer while averaging at least five rebounds per game, shooting 35% from three and 75% from the free-throw line.
The show’s over/unders reflected similar optimism. Both Schade and Adams see Stevenson having a realistic opportunity to surpass 9.5 points per game after averaging a career-best 8.1 last season. Adams also took the over on 34.5% from 3, while Schade reluctantly went under despite hoping Stevenson proves him wrong.
For Stevenson, this season represents one more opportunity to put all the pieces together.
New coach. New teammates. New system. But one familiar face remains in the starting lineup. And as Stevenson begins his senior season at his hometown school, North Carolina doesn’t necessarily need him to become somebody entirely different.
It simply needs the best, most consistent version of the player he has already shown he can be.
