UNC Vs. Duke: A Match of Each Team’s Current NBA Players

After the Tar Heels first meeting with the Duke Blue Devils, I wrote an article comparing the all-time rosters of each team. Now that the team’s final regular season game has come to an end, there is another matchup that can be made. This game features the best current players that each school has to offer. Much like the previous article, this matchup comes in the form of a traditional five man lineup with two additional bench spots. The criteria for this hypothetical matchup are as follows: Every player on each respective team must be an active talent and the players on each roster are to be credited for their current skill level (and not their former greatness). All statistics are also from each player during the 2011-2012 NBA season.

UNC TARHEELS ROSTER:

PG      Ty Lawson               PPG 15.9       APG 6.6         RPG 3.7

After just a few years as an NBA player, Ty Lawson has proven to be one of the most talented young point guards in the league. His speed is a huge part of his offensive game, and he has also shown that he is capable of coming up big in clutch situations. Just in the last week, Lawson has hit two game winning shots that lead his Nuggets team to victory. While his assist numbers do leave something to be desired, he has certainly proven to be an elite guard at the professional level.

SG      Vince Carter             PPG 10.6       APG 2.5         RPG 3.1

While Vince Carter is far past his prime as a basketball player, he is still a legitimate scoring option for the Dallas Mavericks. His three point shooting remains a solid weapon, and his veteran leadership is certainly noteworthy.

SF       Marvin Williams       PPG 9.1         APG 1.2         RPG 5.4

Unfortunately for Tar Heel fans, Marvin Williams has yet to leave up to the potential he had when he left school. However, he had made a name for himself as a solid wing player for the Atlanta Hawks. While Williams does not have an aspect to his game that could be considered great, he is solid in several different categories. He has become a notably good defender, and has provided timely scoring for his Atlanta team.

PF       Antawn Jamison    PPG 17.7       APG 1.9         RPG 6.6

Jamison is yet another former Tar Heel who is in the latter portion of his career. However, he is still capable of putting up a dominate performance at any level of play. His unique scoring maneuvers still baffle his potential defenders, and his rebounding and passing abilities are still very much intact. Jamison’s ability to stretch opposing defensive units with his three point range makes him one of, if not the best player on this UNC roster.

C         Brendan Haywood            PPG 5.8         APG 0.4         RPG 6.9

While Brendan Haywood is past his prime, and current putting up fairly pedestrian numbers, he still retains a great deal of value due to the fact that he is the only true center in this matchup. His size provides a rebounding and defensive presents to the game that the Blue Devils simply do not have an answer for.

BN      Raymond Felton     PPG 9.7         APG 6.1         RPG 2.1

Despite the fact that Felton has bounced around some during the last few seasons, he is still a player with enough talent to be the starting point guard for most NBA teams. Considering that the Tar Heels roster is deep enough to bring a player like Felton off the bench, will give them a burst of speed that Duke does not have.

BN      Tyler Hansbrough             PPG 9.3         APG 0.6         RPG 4.9

Tar Heel fans need no information on Hansbrough to know that impact that he can have on a basketball game. While his NBA career has gotten off to a slow start, he has put up solid numbers of late. Much like J.J. Reddick, Hansbrough provides his team with a unique talent that is specific to his respective game.