UNC Basketball: The Biggest Goal for Each Starter in 2015-16

The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team will enter the 2015-16 season with one goal: winning the national championship. At an individual level, this gets a little more complicated.

In order for the team to be successful, each player will have to play to the best of his ability and improve from last year. This means different things for different people on the roster, but every one of them should have a realistic goal heading into the year.

Here is a look at one primary goal for each starter to work on over the course of the season.

As for the lineup itself, this projection is based on what the team will look like when everyone is healthy. Joel Berry II and Nate Britt could see some extra playing time early in the year, but these five players should be the starters during the bulk of the season.

PG Marcus Paige

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Get Healthy

One of the big stories for most of last season was the health of Marcus Paige, who was on the floor but dealt with foot and leg injuries all year. Heading into this season, a broken hand will keep him on the bench for about three to four weeks.

As the Tar Heels' best player and offensive leader, this is a devastating blow.

The good news is that the senior should be back eventually and at that point resume his candidacy for National Player of the Year. He has that type of ability as a scorer who can get baskets inside or out while also creating for others. The key will be for him to get to 100 percent both physically and mentally.

North Carolina is deep enough to survive the early nonconference season without Paige, but if the team wants to compete for the national championship, it will need the point guard to be at his best.

SG Theo Pinson

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Become Top On-Ball Defender

J.P. Tokoto was the fifth-leading scorer for the Tar Heels last season but was valuable thanks to his athleticism and ability on the defensive end of the court. This is where Theo Pinson comes in as a likely replacement in the starting lineup.

On a team with veteran scorers all around him, Pinson doesn't need to contribute much in the box score. He has to instead focus on his defense on a team that otherwise lacks consistency in this area. Justin Jackson wasn't great as an on-ball defender during his freshman season, which means the Tar Heels need someone who can take out an opposing team's best guard.

As a high-energy player with length and athleticism, the 6'6" Pinson has all of the tools to be a top defender. Now that he is apparently healthy after suffering a foot injury in January, he needs to turn his potential into great play on the court.

His play will help decide whether North Carolina's defense will remain a weakness this season.

SF Justin Jackson

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Be More Assertive

It's not easy to take on a big offensive role as a freshman on a team with experienced, proven scorers in the lineup. This helped contribute to Jackson's quiet start in 2014-15 before he scored in double figures in 11 of the last 12 games.

Now it is important for him to build on the way he ended his first year in Chapel Hill. He has as much talent as anyone else on the roster with the size (6'8"), handle and slashing ability to be a mismatch against any collegiate defender. If he shoots to his ability, he will be unstoppable at this level.

The key for Jackson is to become more assertive offensively. He needs to aggressively look for his shot when the ball is in his hands and demand the ball when it is not. While you don't want anyone to force bad looks, the wing can expand on his 8.7 shot attempts per game as a freshman.

With Paige missing most of the first month, it will be vital for Jackson to become a go-to option on the perimeter.

PF Brice Johnson

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Find Consistency

At times, Brice Johnson has seemed like one of the best forwards in the country. He runs the floor well, finishes on fast breaks, scores with his back to the basket and rebounds just about everything in his area.

The problem is the other games, where he is either borderline invisible or can't make a layup even if his life depended on it.

In a five-game stretch during the ACC season, Johnson totaled 16 points (on 7-of-10 shooting), four points (1-of-6), 22 points (11-of-15), two points (1-of-9) and 17 points (8-of-12). Few players are going to score 20 points every game, but these wild swings have to be concerning for UNC.

The senior even struggled to make an impact in the exhibition against overmatched Guilford on Friday.

"I feel pretty good to play and do some nice things without Justin, Marcus and Brice," head coach Roy Williams said after the game, per GoHeels.com. "He did come in the second half—just the first half I don’t know where he was."

Being grouped in a category with two players who didn't suit up is not a good sign. Johnson has to be a bigger presence and more consistent from game to game during his senior season.

C Kennedy Meeks

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Improve Shot-Blocking

Kennedy Meeks took a huge step after his freshman year, getting into better shape and using his strength to dominate in the low post as a sophomore. He is a tough inside scorer, a strong rebounder and a solid one-on-one defender in the paint.

If he wants to become a first-round NBA draft pick and help his team, however, he still has room to improve.

One area that could make a huge difference is shot-blocking. Both Meeks and Johnson averaged more than one block per game last season, but having a true rim protector would greatly improve the defense and, in turn, move the squad one step closer to the national title.

According to KenPom.com, Meeks finished last season with a team-high 5.8 percent block rate but ranked just 156th in the country among qualified players. The junior is already one of the best at his position in college basketball going into the year, but he can make a huge jump by becoming a bigger presence on the defensive end.

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