Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball: Cam Johnson’s big season by the numbers

By Blake Cockrum

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 05: Cameron Johnson #13 of the North Carolina Tar Heels directs his team against the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks during the second half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on December 05, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 97-69. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 05: Cameron Johnson #13 of the North Carolina Tar Heels directs his team against the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks during the second half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on December 05, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 97-69. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Senior wing pacing UNC offense through season’s first two months

Roy Williams and the North Carolina basketball program got a good one in Cameron Johnson.

When the 6-foot-9, 210-pound sharpshooter announced his plan to leave the University of Pittsburgh and transfer elsewhere, Williams and the Tar Heels quickly made their move. Shortly after, Johnson was committed to North Carolina, and set to use up his remaining two seasons of eligibility in Chapel Hill.

In the time since, Johnson has proven to be one of the team’s most valuable assets, particularly from an offensive standpoint. Despite struggling in his first season with the Tar Heels, Johnson still averaged 12.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists while logging nearly 30 minutes a game. And although he struggled from beyond the arc in year one with the Tar Heels, he was still one of the team’s better long-range shooters at just over 34 percent.

This season, though, Johnson has flipped a switch that we only saw brief glimpses of during his junior campaign.

Related Story. Tar Heels move up in latest AP Top 25 poll. light

Through 14 games, Johnson is North Carolina’s leading scorer at 16.3 points per game, a 25 percent increase in his scoring from last season. Not only that, but he’s doing it in fewer minutes per game and with better shooting percentages from inside and outside the arc.

Johnson’s 52.3 percent shooting clip is one of the best on the team, and his scorching 48.6 percent mark from three-point range is tops among Tar Heels with more than five attempts. He’s one of five Tar Heels shooting at least 79 percent from the foul line, too. He’s also recording more rebounds and steals than he did a season ago, all while committing fewer fouls.

He’s scored double-digit points in all but one game this season, and been the high scorer in six of the team’s 14 contests. He’s scored 20 or more points four times this season, and dropped a season-high 25 in the Tar Heels’ 103-90 victory over Gonzaga on December 15th.

Johnson’s impact on Tar Heels this season has been invaluable, and his play has been the catalyst for their 11-3 record through the first two months. As a result, Johnson has even seen his draft stock rise to No. 41 in the latest 2019 mock draft on NBADraft.net.

Tar Heels on the rise in latest ESPN Power Rankings. dark. Next

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