Justin Jackson embraces pressure in Paige and Johnson's absence

Coming off a successful first year at North Carolina, many expected Justin Jackson to build on that season and shoulder more of the scoring load.

The junior did not have a breakout sophomore year. But now, after losing Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson, UNC needs him to step up.

With the pressure on, Jackson is embracing the challenge.

“For me, I’ve always done better whenever there’s more pressure on myself,” Jackson said. “Knowing that they’re not here, knowing that I need to do more, I think I’m looking forward to stepping into that role.”

Despite his dream of playing professionally, Jackson opted to return to UNC after initially putting his name in the NBA Draft and attending the draft combine.

“When I made the decision, I was at peace right away,” he said.

Even though Jackson came to UNC as a highly-touted recruit, he said there was no timeline for how long he planned to stay in college.

“I wasn’t even focused on the number of years, honestly,” Jackson said. “Obviously, you have hype being a McDonald’s All-American one and done, but for me, I just wanted to come here and be as successful as possible.”

The junior from Tomball, Texas, has shown he is more than capable of being the player the Tar Heels can count on. In Kansas City, Jackson won the 2015 CBE Hall of Fame Classic MVP after averaging 21.5 points over two games and leading UNC past Kansas State in the tournament title game.

But then there were games like the national championship against Villanova, where he was scoreless in the second half and faded into the background. The key for Jackson this season will be maintaining an aggressive approach.

“I’m gonna try and go out there, always think next play,” Jackson said. “If I can do that and keep being aggressive, I’ll be all right.”

In addition to being more aggressive, Jackson also hopes to become a more consistent 3-point shooter this year. In two seasons, Jackson has shot just 29.7 percent from behind the arc.

“Twenty-nine percent from three is weird,” Coach Roy Williams said. “Because every time he shoots it, I think it’s going in. I really do.”

During offseason workouts, teammate Joel Berry has seen a noticeable improvement in Jackson’s shot.

“Last year, he could really shoot the ball,” Berry said. “But this year, he’s been shooting it on a much more consistent basis.”

The question for UNC is whether Jackson’s offseason shooting will translate when the games begin. After finishing 263rd in the country last year in 3-point percentage, the Tar Heels will take all the help they can get.

Jackson is aware of the added responsibility and scrutiny, but he is welcoming it.

”I feel pretty confident in myself,” he said. “But it’s all about what I do on the court. We don’t have a 17 and 10 guy on the block, so somebody has to step up. And I’m going to be as aggressive as possible.”

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