One Thing Malone Must Get Right in Year One at UNC

Following back-to-back years that the Tar Heels have fallen short in the NCAA Tournament, Michael Malone enters his first season in charge of Carolina basketball with a lot of expectation and a lot of pressure in year one.

The worst thing for Carolina fans would be to see the same end result in this upcoming season, as there is already a lot of hope and excitement buzzing around this year for the Tar Heels.

To avoid that kind of disappointment, there is one thing that Michael Malone needs to focus on in this first year to get the team ready to make a deep run in the postseason tournament.

Feb 28, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard Jailen Bedford (0) with the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels guard Jaydon Young (4) defends in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

How the Rotation Can Be a Game Changer

Last season under Hubert Davis, we saw an interesting rotation all season long and some questionable decisions down the stretch.

A great example is guard Jaydon Young, who, while only averaging about seven minutes per game, found himself injected into the starting role for a four-game stretch midway through the season.

Even though those games went well for Hubert Davis, the overall sentiment remains in question. What a move like that can certainly do is throw the chemistry out of line and prevent the starting players from growing in that connection with one another.

Grace has to be given to Davis, though, as he dealt with injuries all season long, and it seemed like he was desperate to change something up and see what would work.

Mar 9, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone talks to guard Jamal Murray (27) during a break in the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Goal for Next Season

For next season, Malone has to get the players into the right positions and use the right rotation to give this group the best chance of success. Minutes may be hard to distribute with the roster Malone has built thus far, but it's imperative to the success that each player is not playing under or over the amount of minutes that their importance reflects.

Carolina will also need players willing to take on the roles of depth pieces and developmental players, and accept that their time is coming, though it may not be as early as next season.

If players are playing in the right positions, at the right time, for the right duration of the game, Carolina could be a team to compete in the ACC. For a coach like Michael Malone, who has NBA experience at the highest level, I have no doubt that he will be able to provide Carolina basketball with these things.

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