Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The North Carolina Tar Heels will be getting plenty of talent back for the 2013-14 college basketball season. However, James Michael McAdoo will arguably be the best player on the team. Can he lead the Tar Heels?
He is certainly capable of leading the team in scoring and all of that fun stuff, but I am more interested in what he can actually do for the team outside of the stats sheet. I want to know if he can actually put the team on his back when North Carolina is down by five with under a minute to play in the ACC tournament. I want to know if he can lead his team on a deep run in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. I want to know if he can be the leader on and off the court.
Well, depending on the whole P.J. Hairston situation, he may have to.
This team is going to have plenty of scorers, but McAdoo has a lot more to offer than just that. His 14.4 points per game were great, but his 7.3 rebounds per game is what I am looking at. Reggie Bullock (6.5 rebounds per game) will no longer be on the Tar Heels, so McAdoo will have to be that much better on the boards. It does help that some great freshmen will be taking the court, though.
Back to the main question. Yes, McAdoo can lead this team. He certainly has the offensive ability to be great next season, after shooting 44.5 percent from the field this past one. At 6’9”, he is a big body that can do work in the paint. Whether if it is a big shot at the end of the game or a big rebound, McAdoo can do it all.
However, North Carolina is going to have to play as a team. Everyone is going to have to be on the same page this year. The Tar Heels weren’t bad or anything in the 2012-13 season, but a No. 8 seed in the dance is not exactly this program’s cup of tea.
McAdoo had a lot of hype coming into last season. He was a pretty good player and he still has the ability to be one of the best players in the ACC. Now, it is time to see if he can actually lead this team.
If you’re a tweeter, feel free to follow me @TheTrevorLowry.
