Kendall Marshall might not be ready to be North Carolina’s Batman, but Larry Drew II is more than happy to be Robin.
Each of coach Roy Williams’ championship teams had an elite point guard: Raymond Felton in 2005 and Ty Lawson in 2009. Although the Tar Heels usually get a huge chunk of scoring from great post players — such as Tyler Zeller, Tyler Hansbrough and Sean May — a speedy, attacking point guard is a prerequisite for running Williams’ high-octane offense.
So after the Tar Heels lost badly, 78-58, in Atlanta to Georgia Tech Jan. 16, Williams decided to go with Marshall, a freshman, in the starting lineup instead of Drew. Since then, the Tar Heels are 4-0 and are clicking on all cylinders. However, Marshall can’t take all the credit because his play has actually dipped slightly. Ironically, Drew has improved.
The overall results have been impressive. For the season, North Carolina averages 79 points, 16 assists and 14 turnovers per game while shooting 46.0 percent from the field. But in the past four games, the offense has been much more productive: 85 points, 18 assists and 12 turnovers per game with a 49.9 shooting percentage. North Carolina posted its second-best offensive performance of the season at Boston College Feb. 1 and fifth-best performance at Miami Jan. 26, according to Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency statistics.
Although Marshall’s ascension to the starting lineup seems to be a logical explanation for the offensive improvement, it’s not that simple. Marshall is 5-of-10 from the field with 17 assists and 11 turnovers during that four-game span. Those numbers aren’t significantly different from his season averages of 49.2 percent shooting and 4.5 assists and 1.9 turnovers per game. He’s averaging about five more minutes per game, and the Tar Heels are happy to see that Marshall can maintain a high level of productivity with more playing time.
The amazing turnaround comes in Drew’s play. During the past couple of weeks, Drew is shooting 7-of-16 from the field and has 19 assists but only four turnovers. That’s a significant improvement on his 38.4 percent shooting and 3.9 assists and 1.8 turnovers per game this season. Drew is playing only a couple minutes fewer per game, but he’s much more effective off the bench.
That’s great news for the Tar Heels, who are already one of the best teams in the country on defense. Anchored by John Henson and Zeller, the Tar Heels’ defense ranks No. 6 in defensive efficiency, according to Pomeroy. If North Carolina’s mediocre offense can continue to improve — it’s ranked No. 51 by Pomeroy — North Carolina could emerge as a surprisingly successful team in March.
For North Carolina to complete its resurgence, Marshall and/or Drew must lead the way, following in the footsteps of previous great point guards on Williams-coached teams.
