Analyst gives their 2 cents on how the Oklahoma City Thunder's "positionless style" could inspire Hubert Davis' UNC Tar Heels next season

As the 2024-25 college basketball season approaches, some analysts believe the UNC Tar Heels could take a page out of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s playbook. Specifically, there is a growing idea that Hubert Davis’ team may be inspired by OKC’s “positionless style” of basketball.

On Friday, Harrah High School coach Pac Kilby joined the “Locked On Tar Heels Podcast” to discuss this concept with host Isaac Schade, and he explained why he sees a connection between the two teams.

“I think there’s going to be some similarities in the roster build, and that’s a great thing actually,” Kilby said. “There’s been a lot of talk about how it’s a small market team (OKC) and I don’t know how many people get a chance to watch them, but man they are fun to watch because they have that positionless style. They have length everywhere, one possession it might be SGA bringing it up, the next it could be JDub, the next it could be Caruso, the next it could be Kase Wallace. “There’s so much freedom in that, and to me I could see Carolina adopting a similar strategy. You know just because, like even Kayen Evans who we project to be the starting point guard for North Carolina um you know he’s really kind of a combo guard.” [14: 22 - 15:15]

Led by MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder finished the season as champions, their first championship since moving to Oklahoma City.

Meanwhile, UNC will enter the new season with a fresh roster and a lot of buzz. With returning talents and promising new faces, Davis could indeed lean into a positionless approach, allowing guards and wings to handle the ball and create mismatches just like OKC.

Four-star recruit guard calls UNC Tar Heels his ‘dream school’

UNC is already making moves to recruit players from the 2027 class, and one of them is in-state combo guard L.J. Smith. The Tar Heels were the first to offer the guard a deal, and he has made an encouraging statement regarding this potential move.

“I was really excited. It’s my dream school. There were a lot of emotions. I just told them, ‘Thank you, and I’m really excited to get down to campus, ” Smith said while speaking to Rivals.

The guard hails from Lincolnton, North Carolina, and he is likely going to remain in his home state despite having 15 recruitment offers.

Edited by John Maxwell