On Friday afternoon, the Tar Heels officially confirmed some rumors that were going around about one of the members of their rotation on Friday afternoon. The school released a statement that Anthony Harris, who has missed each of the last two games, will be out for the remainder of the 2021-22 season due to an academic issue.
Harris played in 14 games this season and was averaging 2.6 points per game, shooting 48.1% from the field overall and shooting 60.0% from behind the arc. He had also posted a 108.5 defensive rating this season, the highest of his career and best mark on the team amongst qualifiers. This will be a tough void to fill for a team that right now is in desperate need of consistent defenders, especially on the perimeter. Here’s a look at some of the guys who need to step up.
Justin McKoy
Since returning from his stint in the health and safety protocols, McKoy has seen more sustainable minutes, playing 16 or more minutes in each of the last two games with Harris out of the lineup. McKoy has shown some solid effort in the last couple of games and has posted a 103.2 defensive rating this season, but he is rather limited a scorer and can’t attack the basket the way that Harris did off the bounce. McKoy simply needs to step up on the offensive end or they will need to find more production elsewhere.
D’Marco Dunn
Dunn has seen an increase in minutes since the Kentucky game and has done some good things in that limited time on the floor. Dunn has the second-highest defensive rating amongst qualifiers and has shown some great effort when he has been on the floor. He hasn’t shot the ball great, but his effort is enough to earn him more playing time moving forward.
Puff Johnson
Johnson is the biggest wild card on this Tar Heel roster right now as he returns from injury. He has played in each of the last two games and while he has yet to score, he has brought some nice energy when he has been in the game. Right now it is unclear just how much of a role he is capable of playing at this time coming off of a hip strain, but he has some nice offensive upside and could give the Tar Heels some versatility on the floor with his rebounding ability.