Analysis: UNC's big men bring a mix of youth and experience between Brooks and Bacot

If there's one thing North Carolina head coach Roy Williams loves more than playing fast, it's playing two traditional big men at the same time. And now, for the first time since the 2017 national championship run, UNC can do just that. 

Plenty of possessions for UNC will start by looking inside first — they'll have to, now that the team is missing the elite shooting it had with Cameron Johnson, Luke Maye and Coby White. 

The inside attack will begin with Garrison Brooks, a leader on the team and the Tar Heel's best returning player. With the addition of first-year Armando Bacot, Brooks, a junior power forward, can slide back to his natural position after playing center for most of the season last year.

Brooks is far and away the team's best defender, leading the team in defensive player of the game awards with 12 last season. Williams made it clear during the offseason that the team will rely on Brooks to set the tone on that end. 

Offensively, the LaFayette, Alabama native has grown into almost everything Williams looks for in a big man. He rebounds, runs the floor, sets hard screens and rolls to the rim for easy dunks. He's also an underrated passer. He tallied at least three assists in six different games last season. 

Expect him to have the ball in his hands more this season — he'll take some of the post-up possessions Maye had, and he's worked on his mid-range shot over the offseason to try and space the floor. 

His front-court partner, Bacot, brings size and shot blocking that UNC has been missing since Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks graduated. 

He'll also be a low-post threat from the start, with soft touch around the rim and solid footwork that should get the Tar Heels some easy buckets inside. From what he showed in high school, Bacot should be able to facilitate out of the high post and throw the ball down to Brooks, or reverse positions and receive the pass. 

Defensively, Bacot will block shots, but he'll also probably share the same struggles that all first-year bigs do, taking time to adjust to the speed of the college game and understanding complex defensive schemes. His conditioning was a question mark in high school, and how much he plays will depend on how quickly he can adjust. 

Outside of the probable starters, Williams hasn't given any inclination as to what the rotation will look like, but UNC has a couple big men that will fill up minutes coming off the bench. 

Sterling Manley, the primary backup last year when he was healthy, won't be ready for the start of the season after having surgery on his knee over the summer. 

Walker Miller, a junior forward, was shouted out several times during ACC Operation Basketball as a player Williams was impressed with. Brandon Huffman played sparingly last season, but might be pressed into duty more regularly with Manley out. Both Miller and Huffman played over 10 minutes in the exhibition against Winston-Salem State. 

Graduate transfer Justin Pierce could also see some minutes at the four when the Tar Heels decide to go small, as he did during the exhibition game against WSSU.

Overall though, most of the playing time will be split between the two starters at center when they don't share the floor. If this UNC team wants to score, it will do so by looking to Brooks and Bacot to run the floor, get deep position early and take pressure off a team lacking shooting. 

@bg_keyes

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com