Davis' Bench Is Taking Shape

While the minutes reserves get are sporadic, they are still getting time. One of the more interesting elements of tracking this of late is how the minutes spike one game, and don’t the next for most of the second-team Tar Heels.

With it has come considerable consternation from Davis’ critics wondering why the playing time distribution is so inconsistent. But the key here is that North Carolina’s bench isn’t a cookie cutter unit, it’s comprised by players who have unique skill sets, thus they are usually called on according to need.

One might see this as an NBA philosophy, and given Davis’ 12 years in the league as a player, many of which he came off the bench, fuels his approach to a substitution pattern. And yes, there is a pattern: It’s all based on need. That’s the pattern.

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“I think it’s important to be able to tweak and pivot and alter and to adjust,” UNC’s second-year coach said. “There’s lineups out there on the floor that dictate certain lineups from us being out there on the floor, whether it’s to match up a little better defensively, or to put us in a situation where we can be more effective and efficient on the offensive.

“So, to be able to have that type of adversity I think is really good.”

The rub on Davis is that kids aren’t going to improve quickly enough when they’re minutes are inconsistent, but what is interesting when breaking down the reserves’ opportunities is the spikes give them extended time in certain games. One might argue there is more value in a player getting 22 minutes in two of five games while playing only a few minutes in the contests in between, than playing 12 minutes in each game.

One might argue the opposite as well. But that doesn’t matter. This is how Davis does things, and it isn’t likely to change any time soon, and his players know it.

A constant theme inside the locker room is for each Tar Heel to be ready every night for when their number is called. And when it is, they must perform.

“I think every game is a little different process,” sophomore guard D’Marco Dunn said. “The main thing I look at is how the game is (going), and in this game, we just lacked energy. I think it was lackadaisical… I think I just felt like I could supply energy.

“In every game I try to bring my strengths. Looking at what coverages they’re in, what defensive coverages we’re in, to try to adjust, and I go about that.”

Dunn is a good example of this. Before breaking a hand in early December, his minutes ranged from four to 17. Since returning for the loss at Pittsburgh on December 30, Dunn has played 20, three, 16, 22, and 25 minutes, respectively.

The reason for the uptick over the last three games, however, is that Dunn has not only produced, but has started showing the multiplicity in his game. He is also making shots, which helps.

The 6-foot-5 guard is 9-for-13 from the floor over the last three games, including 4-for-7 from the perimeter. He was 11-for-25 before the last three games, including 4-for-12 from outside. Not terrible numbers, but they are better now in part because his confidence is higher.

The self-assuredness for Dunn hasn’t come from the ball going through the basket, though, it has been improved defense, getting involved in other elements of the game – he had a career-high five rebounds in the 80-59 win at Louisville on Saturday – and he is losing himself in games more.

With Pete Nance missing the last three games, and all but the first 1:42 of the Wake Forest game, the other Heels have been called on more to pitch in. Armando Bacot played the first 78 seconds against Virginia last Tuesday night, and missed the rest of the game. Again, more opportunities for reserves.

Davis’ approach to using the bench, however, still hasn’t changed. It remains a matter of need. Consider junior forward Puff Johnson.

In UNC’s last six games, dating back to a win over Michigan, Johnson has logged two, four, and 14 minutes, plus he’s been on the floor for 21, 22, and 25 versus the Wolverines, Notre Dame, and Louisville. His combined numbers in those outings: 10-for20 from the field, 5-for-10 from 3-point range, and 18 rebounds.

“I don’t look at as I scored x-amount of points,” Johnson said. “It’s what I see through my eyes. It’s how many points does our team have and how many points we’re holding the other team at. Because at the end of the day, no matter what happens is for North Carolina to score more points.”

Dontrez Styles had barely played over the previous month, but was on the floor for the final five minutes of the first half and played nine minutes at the KFC Yum! Center. Freshman forward Jalen Washington played 20 minutes before Tuesday at UVA, but got 27 minutes there and 19 more Saturday.

Yes, Davis is playing these guys more minutes because Nance is out, and Bacot logged 26 minutes this past week, but the growth in their games will only strengthen the Tar Heels as they build toward the postseason.

The trend at this time last year was for the “Iron Five” to take effect, but now the Heels are morphing into a deeper team with a confident bench.

“It's hard, it's difficult,” Davis said Saturday about the challenge in always being ready but not knowing when the call will come. “That's your job. That's your responsibility to be ready. I think it shows a lot about their preparation in the way that they have practiced that allowed them to play the way that they played today.

“I was really proud of them (at Louisville) that just really helps us to have that type of bench and that consistency, off the bench on both ends of the floor, that allow us to be an even deeper team."

There is no denying that.