North Carolina fans are still reeling at the potential loss of former five star recruit Ian Jackson. I say potential because he could, in theory, still return to the Tar Heels after declaring for the transfer portal on Monday.
If he does depart UNC for good, it would draw a lot of questions, in particular at Hubert Davis, and if he’s able to not just recruit but construct a winning roster. The overarching theme for the Tar Heels this season is a logjam of scoring guards and not enough true point guards.
That could be one reason why Jackson is looking for a new home. Also why he could land back in New York with Rick Pitino at St. John’s, which he’s been linked to in his first 48 hours in the portal. It’s not a knock on Jackson for looking for a better fit, though.
This is a Hubert Davis problem that he has to address. Jackson’s departure highlights that Davis might have a problem with putting together a roster that is cohesive. That could not just affect who leaves this season, but his ability to recruit in the future as well.
Hubert Davis has to focus on roster construction as Ian Jackson’s transfer portal departure highlights potential flaw
Where Davis went wrong with this year’s team is Jackson was the second leading scorer on the team but only started a third of the team’s games this year. That shows Davis either didn’t have faith in him to consistently add to the lineup or simply couldn’t find the right lineup to run him with.
Jackson joined RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau and Drake Powell as more scoring guards rather than true point guards. In an effort to avoid a short lineup, Davis had to bench one of them and it ended up being Jackson.
The question is, why couldn’t Davis figure out how to get the team’s second leading scorer more minutes? Jackson averaged just 23.8 minutes per game this year with 12 starts. For a former five-star player that was one of the top players in his class, that feels like a scheme fit issue.
If this move wasn’t motivated by NIL money and trying to find the right fit, then Davis will have to be a lot more intentional about how he builds next year’s roster. Jackson is receiving early second round NBA Draft grades and could sneak into the first round.
But the fact is, the Tar Heels weren’t great this season and his sample size isn’t large enough to warrant taking a gamble on him. And it will mean he’ll probably end up spending time in the G-league.
Transferring makes much more sense. He could ultimately make more money in college than the G-league, get more exposure and be the face of a team that goes on an NCAA Tournament run.
If he does stay in college for at least one more year and he becomes the player Davis and UNC fans thought he would be in Chapel Hill, Davis will be kicking himself. Not because he lost out on Jackson, but because he couldn’t figure out how to maximize his skill set within the roster.