UNC Basketball: Stock Watch for Tar Heels' Key Players

Riding a four-game winning streak and with some very winnable games coming up, North Carolina is starting to show its true colors after an up-and-down first two months of the 2014-15 season.

So, too, are the Tar Heels' key players, who after 19 games are giving us an idea of what they're made of and what can be expected of them down the stretch and into the postseason.

Who's on the rise? Who's holding steady or slipping? Check out our updated stock watch for UNC's key players.

Justin Jackson

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Rising

Justin Jackson came to North Carolina with a lot of hype and some heavy expectations: to help fill the void left by the early departure of James Michael McAdoo while also providing a second outside shooting option besides just Marcus Paige. And we kept waiting to see that throughout the nonconference season, to no avail.

Then the calendar switched to 2015, the schedule shifted to ACC games and, suddenly, a light came on in the 6'8" freshman forward's game.

While he's scoring about the same (11.2 points per game in conference play, compared to 11.1 for the season), Jackson has shot 65 percent in ACC play after making just 43.6 percent in non-league action. He's still yet to show that outside touch, making only 10 of 42 threes, but he's showing more of the aggressiveness toward the basket that was expected.

Jackson hasn't impacted the game on the boards much, averaging only 3.3 rebounds per game, but he stays out of foul trouble and takes care of the ball. 

Brice Johnson

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Holding steady

Brice Johnson is third on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game, and his 7.4 rebounds are second best. He's also second in field-goal shooting at 54.3 percent, all numbers that point to the 6'9" junior forward having a solid season.

Just not a consistent one.

Johnson is on a four-game stretch of games in which he's scored in double figures, including 19 in Wednesday's 87-71 win at Wake Forest. He also got two of his three double-doubles during this stretch, which came after he went through one of his frequent runs of subpar play that usually boiled down to him not taking much initiative to get involved.

When Johnson shows aggression and drive, he does well. When he sits back, he's almost nonexistent.

The hope is that these recent games are a sign he's turned a corner toward being consistent, but the jury is still out.

Kennedy Meeks

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Falling

Kennedy Meeks was by far North Carolina's most improved player after the first month of the season. The 6'9" sophomore was showing off how his slimmed-down body could make him more athletic, versatile and less apt to get worn out.

His numbers are all still far up from last season at 12.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 59.5 percent field-goal shooting, but overall, the effort and performance of late has tapered off significantly. Foul trouble is starting to become an issue, as is an inability to control the boards as well as he did earlier in the year.

Meeks has nine games with 10 or more rebounds, but only two in ACC play. His struggles have opened the door for reserve posts like Isaiah Hicks and Joel James to see more action, which works for building depth but not when UNC needs to know it can turn to Meeks down the stretch.

Marcus Paige

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Rising

From a season-long standpoint, it's not been a good year for Marcus Paige. It has certainly not been the kind of performance that was expected from the 6'1" junior guard after last season, prompting him to make numerous preseason All-American teams and be among a handful of National Player of the Year candidates.

Paige's numbers had a good chance of going down this season thanks to improved support from the rest of the Tar Heels' starters, but the overall dip had been far more pronounced until late December. That's when the Paige we were expecting this season decided to show up and, more importantly, stick around.

Over the last nine games, Paige is averaging 13.9 points and 4.7 assists while shooting 41 percent from three-point range. He's still only making 38.1 percent of his shots overall, but in that stretch, the selection has been better and the confidence has been more noticeable.

With 46 threes on the season, Paige has three more long balls than the rest of the Tar Heels players combined. His value remains as high as ever, and he's starting to perform that way.

J.P. Tokoto

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Rising

For some players, statistics don't tell the whole story. J.P. Tokoto is North Carolina's representative in that scenario. He's scoring, rebounding and shooting worse than last season yet having his best year yet with the Tar Heels.

Tokoto, a 6'5" junior, is fifth on the team in scoring at 9.1 points per game along with 5.1 rebounds, both below last season. He's making just 42.6 percent of his shots, and that percentage has stayed at that point almost the whole season.

Yet those numbers aren't as indicative of his impact on the team as his 4.1 assists per game, effectively playing a point-forward role with UNC mostly using only one guard (Marcus Paige) in the starting lineup.

With passing, defense, hustle and athleticism, Tokoto has grown into that "glue guy" role that every team needs but often ends up being handled by a key reserve. Instead, Tokoto is taking care of that while starting most games, holding things together no matter what happens.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.