Under head coach Roy Williams, the North Carolina men's basketball team has been known for putting the ball in the hands of post players that dominate at the college level. However, players like Tyler Hansbrough, Tyler Zeller and Sean May have failed to see their college success translate to the next level.
Instead, it's been the perimeter players that have shown the nation that UNC can still produce pro talent. In particular, guys like Danny Green, Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock and Marvin Williams have been shooting lights out from behind the arc this season, and especially this week.
Danny Green
When UNC won the NCAA Championship in 2009, Wayne Ellington was considered the team’s purest shooter. Though Ellington has had a respectable NBA career as a 3-point specialist, a former teammate has become one of the league’s deadliest snipers. Danny Green has turned a reliable shot from deep and an electric style of play into big contracts and a NBA Championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014.
Now on the Toronto Raptors, Green had one of the best moments of his career when he hit seven 3-pointers in one quarter on Saturday. Green went 8-12 from behind the arc for the game with all of his 24 points coming from downtown. In merely 23 minutes, he also added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in a blowout win against the Memphis Grizzlies.
In his first season with the Raptors, Green is averaging 10 points per game while shooting a blistering 42.1 percent from three. Green also ranks fourth in the NBA in plus-minus, and is a key reason the Raptors are NBA title contenders.
Harrison Barnes
UNC’s best current NBA player is none other than Harrison Barnes of the Dallas Mavericks. His title as the top player from the 2010 recruiting class, as ranked by ESPN, was in part due to his elite shooting ability. This week he displayed that by hitting three triples en route to a 20-point outing against the Indiana Pacers.
