CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- P.J. Hairston is smart enough to know how to
respond when a reporter asks him, following a rather productive
performance in his team’s most notable victory of the season, if he
should start or at least get more playing time.
Naturally, the
North Carolina sophomore gave an answer his Hall of Fame coach would
approve of, and probably the best response in general.
“I guess
so,” Hairston responded after UNC defeated UNLV 79-73 last Saturday. “I
feel like I did a lot more on defense today than I’ve done the whole
season. And I feel like I can play defense like this all the time if I
put my mind to it and take it to the court instead of leaving it in
practice.”
Regardless of what Hairston dodges and admits, the question still begs: Should he start?
On
the surface, the answer is a quick yes. Hairston is one of UNC’s top
three players along with junior wing Reggie Bullock and sophomore
forward James Michael McAdoo; so naturally, he should be on the floor
more than most of the other Tar Heels.
Hairston is a scorer. He
finished with 15 points in the first start of his career against the
Rebels. The Greensboro, N.C. native was in the opening lineup because
Bullock was out with a mild concussion, but replacing Bullock long term
isn’t going to happen.
The 6-foot-6 Hairston is supposed to be an
excellent perimeter shooter, but he struggled last season. And through
13 contests this year, he has coverted only 34 percent of his treys.
(Hairston was 2-for-5 from beyond the arc on Saturday.) He can drive to
the basket, using his strong mid-section to gain separation and get off
shots. He can rebound, defended exceptionally well against Vegas and
fights for open space around the rim. It also isn’t a stretch to declare
Hairston as North Carolina’s toughest player.
Hairston, who
averages 12.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in just 18.8 minutes per game,
recognizes that’s part of his game with the Tar Heels.
“I just go
in and play,” he said. “I always want to come out with energy just so I
can play well on each end of the court. Those are the things that the
coaches like for you to play hard...and play together.”
But given UNC’s composition, whom would he supplant in the starting lineup?
Coach
Roy Williams isn’t going to remove freshman point guard Marcus Paige or
senior two-guard Dexter Strickland, who also helps Paige at the point.
McAdoo? Nope. Thus, the only options are to either go small and start
Bullock (6-7) at the four and insert Hairston into the small forward
spot. Or Williams could maintain the current system, rotating his
starters at the five -- Desmond Hubert got the call against UNLV -- and
keep Hairston as a spark off the bench.
In a way, that role may
best suit these Tar Heels and perhaps even Hairston. He can serve as a
nightly juice injection but with a more defined role in filling UNC’s
needs for points, rebounds and in-your-face defense. Hairston could be
lethal in this role.
Coming off the bench, Hairston has already
reached double figures seven times in 11 games (he was sidelined for
UNC's loss to then-No. 1 Indiana on Nov. 27). He tallied 18 points twice
and posted a career-high 20 against McNeese State on Dec. 22.
To
Williams, that doesn’t really matter. Hairston’s skills are what they
are, whether he starts or remains a super sub. The main thing, the coach
says, is for Hairston to relax and be who he is.
“Reggie had
probably been playing better than anyone else on our team to this point,
and then all of a sudden find out he’s not going to play -- it was a
pretty big blow,” Williams said. “We told P.J., ‘You don’t have to be
anybody else, just be yourself,’... He really did some good things.”
More
minutes for Hairston will mean more good things for the Tar Heels, and
that’s a formula Williams should and likely will embrace.
