North Carolina is not the abomination that they were last year.
...but that's an admittedly low bar to clear; they have still trekked through dark valleys this season. The Heels seem unable to play two good games in a row, as inconsistencies belie impressive performances. Numerous examples decorate their schedule--a win in Cameron Indoor, then a brick-fest in Charlottesville; an obliteration of Louisville diminished by a head-scratching loss to Marquette; a season-saving triumph over Florida State followed by a frustrating defeat at Syracuse. Mind-numbing turnovers and ice-cold shooting are their biggest pitfalls, but the Tar Heels have one more opportunity to tune-up before the Big Dance. This week’s ACC Tournament offers a chance to generate (and more importantly, to sustain) momentum. As they forge forward, I hope Roy Williams and Co. completely unleash freshman big man Walker Kessler. Kessler, a former McDonald’s All-American and five-star recruit, faced several setbacks in the early part of the season. Two separate 14-day close-contact quarantines kept him sidelined at the start of practice. His lack of reps combined with a crowded frontcourt equated to just 6 minutes per game through UNC's first 18 contests. However, with increased playing time in recent weeks, Kessler has revealed why scouts viewed him with so much promise heading into the season. In this post, I’ll analyze his contributions on both defense and offense. Defense: In my opinion, Kessler most affects the game with his smothering defense. His length gives UNC a true rim protector, and he boasts enough agility to competently guard on the perimeter. But perhaps most crucial is his proficiency versus pick-and-roll. At points this season, the Heels have looked clueless while trying to stop ball screens. Sometimes they hard hedge with a big, sometimes they double-team the ballhandler, sometimes they switch--and a lot of times they miscommunicate. A December loss at NC State stands out as their nadir in atrocious ball screen defense. Below, RJ Davis and Garrison Brooks botch whatever their plan was. Brooks fails to hedge after Davis gets stuck on the screen, leading Leaky Black to help off of Devon Daniels. Braxton Beverly immediately notices the breakdown and kicks out to Daniels for an open three.
So you might think, “okay, that was all the way back in December...surely things have improved.” Well, yes, but crafty guards still find success both slashing and creating off of picks. In the next clip, Marquette's Koby McEwen rejects Theo John’s screen, but still beats Anthony Harris off the dribble. Armando Bacot falters in his help defense, which leads RJ Davis to leave his man. McEwen then pinpoints a pass into the waiting hands of Symir Torrence, who promptly drains one from distance. Now, here is where Kessler patches up the wounds: For one, he excels at playing drop coverage against ball screens--this simultaneously takes away shots at the basket and allows help defenders to stay on shooters. In the following clip, Kessler quickly diagnoses Florida State’s double screen; from there, he cuts off RayQuan Evans’ driving lane, then swiftly recovers onto Balša Koprivica. His recovery negates the need for help from Kerwin Walton, who sticks with Anthony Polite, a plus shooter. Later in that same game, the smaller, speedier MJ Walker challenges Kessler, who again sits in drop coverage. That plan backfires, as the big man uses his otherworldly wingspan to erase Walker’s shot.
(apologies for the annoying ESPN split screen)
One last possession from that game showcases Kessler's knack for disruption. The 'Noles once more test him in pick-and-roll with the monstrous Koprivica as the screener. But Kessler times the pass perfectly, breaking it up like Antoine Winfield, Jr. in the Super Bowl. After surveying his skillset, it’s easy to envision Kessler blossoming into one of the best interior defenders in the country--this youthful Carolina team already turn to him as a security blanket on that side of the ball. Offense: On offense, Kessler's polished footwork and soft touch complement his size. Again, in his statement game versus Florida State, he displayed the full extent of his potential. In the clip below, he stays light on his feet to spin out of Scottie Barnes’ reach (and MJ Walker makes a business decision by getting out of the way). Kessler mainly scores around the basket and on put-backs (his 19% offensive rebounding rate would lead the country if he had logged enough minutes); but later in the contest against the 'Noles, he flashed the ability to put the ball on the deck--here, Kerwin Walton and RJ Davis clear out, freeing him up to beat Malik Osborne off the bounce: Moving to the transition game, Kessler runs the floor with the relentlessness that Roy Williams demands--this one is just textbook. And finally, he showed off that aforementioned touch in this past weekend’s blowout win over Duke. Not even the Blue Devils’ colossus Mark Williams could force a miss on this silky hook shot: Some may accuse me of wearing blue-and-argyle-tinted glasses (and they may be right), but I truly think this kid can be the ACC Player of the Year in 2022. But here's to hoping his emergence fuels a run for the Heels this March.
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AuthorRiley Davis Archives
June 2021
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Photo used under Creative Commons from MarsInOrbit