UNC Basketball: Each Tar Heels Starter's Biggest Area of Improvement in 2014-15

It can often be tricky to lump together an entire unit of a team into categories. At any one time, players are at different points in their careers or having different levels of success in a given season.

Calculating the area of improvement for a team's starting lineup is thus an activity that necessitates picking and choosing.

Obviously freshman Justin Jackson has not improved upon anything since last season. He was not yet on the team.

It is arguable that Marcus Paige has not improved upon anything, at least statistically, this season simply because of how good he was a year ago.

Then there's Kennedy Meeks, the UNC big man who started off so well this year but has plateaued as the season has progressed. There is nothing wrong with that, but he has failed to technically improve on his earlier production.

Or take J.P. Tokoto, a player who seemingly vacillates game to game from being unstoppable to stopping himself. Of course, he is an overall better player than he was as a sophomore.

A similar argument can be made about Brice Johnson, the team's final starter. He infuriates fans as much as he delights them.

So it only makes sense to take this topic one player at a time and address it in a case-by-case basis.

Marcus Paige

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It is hard to form an argument that Marcus Paige is doing anything better in 2014-15 than he did a season ago. However, he has improved as this year has gone on, and that's something to commend him for.

Even as the injuries have built up and the competition has grown fiercer, Paige has become better and more efficient.

Part of this improvement is due to his overwhelmingly poor start to the season. Nevertheless, a turnaround is under way.

It is hard to tell whether or not the change is due to some emotional adjustment or simply the fact that his shots are now falling. Either way, Paige is better.

Ever since a 4-of-12 shooting performance against Ohio State in mid-December, Paige has looked like his sophomore self. He's shooting a collective 49-of-109 (44.9 percent) from the floor, has hit multiple threes in each game and has missed a total of two free throws out of 27 attempts.

Prior to that spot, Paige was shooting below 35 percent (43-of-124).

His shooting improvement from all over the court has somewhat coincided, not surprisingly, with UNC's recent win streak. He was always supposed to be the team's best player; now he's playing like it.

J.P. Tokoto

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It is difficult to pinpoint where J.P. Tokoto is consistently better now compared to early in the season. However, it is clear that the junior point-forward is a better all-around player this year compared to last.

The main improvement has been in how he's physically playing. Tokoto has morphed into a main distributor and creator on this team.

It is why he is currently just one behind Paige for the team lead in assists. It's why he is so often slashing to the basket and, subsequently, performing much better at the free-throw line.

Of course, there are side effects to the change in style. Tokoto is shooting six percent worse from the floor than he did as a sophomore, 42.9 percent down from 48.9 percent. He also leads the team in turnovers by a healthy margin.

Every player has strengths and weaknesses. Tokoto's are perhaps more pronounced than the average guy, but he has become more of an overall asset to this squad in his third year.

Justin Jackson

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With no prior season to compare it to, Justin Jackson can only be judged against his earlier self. This is not quite fair since incoming freshmen are bound to hit bumps.

Nevertheless, Jackson has become more of a focal point in the offense as the year has trudged on, and that is a good thing. It's because his aggressiveness, assertiveness and confidence have picked up.

The three-point shot is still failing him, but Jackson has been able to create all kinds of open looks in and around the paint. He is also beginning to have plays run for him within the framework of the offensive system.

This wasn't happening earlier in the year.

As an overall player, Jackson still has a lot of work to do in the rebounding department, on defense and passing. It will be worth checking back in with his advancement closer to the NCAA tournament.

Brice Johnson

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Brice Johnson, similarly to Tokoto, has had an up-and-down year to date.

Even this late into the season, he still commits incredibly foolish fouls. He had also slowed somewhat in his rim protection prior to collecting three blocks last time out.

But with four double-doubles in his last six ballgames, Johnson is at least continually bringing his biggest asset: his athletic hustle. Not many guys are more athletic than him, and no one on the team plays with more emotion or aggressiveness.

He is simply a more impactful player than he was last season.

The minutes, free throws, field-goal attempts, rebounds and points are all up. There are still steps to be taken to get his mental game in line with the physical one, but the production is encouraging.

Kennedy Meeks

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Kennedy Meeks' biggest improvement has come in the area of endurance and stamina. His big offseason weight loss was well documented, and for good reason. Dropping all of those pounds has allowed him to be a focal point of this team.

There is still room to improve things. Meeks is only playing 23.3 minutes per game, partially to limit foul trouble but also to keep him fresh. He can get up and down the court just fine but doesn't get up in the air well yet. When a ball should be dunked, Meeks instead lays it in.

And he doesn't have the ability to sky for blocks or rebounds like Brice Johnson, Isaiah Hicks or even Desmond Hubert.

But Meeks is improving. His body, like his game, is still a work in progress. Compared to where he was a season ago, Meeks looks like a 2.0 version of himself.