Playing without Paige will make the team better
Paige hit more three-pointers than the rest of the team combined last season
Point guard Marcus Paige dealt with all sorts of injuries last year, and he’s already been bitten by the injury bug again this year. In practice this week, his hand got stuck in another player’s jersey and he fractured the third metacarpal on his right, non-shooting hand.
The injury is expected to sideline Paige for 3-4 weeks, putting him on track for a possible return when UNC takes on Maryland at home on December 1. Both teams are highly ranked in the preseason AP poll, with the Heels at No. 1 and the Terrapins at No. 3.
Paige’s injury will not require surgery.
It will allow the other guards on the team extra minutes in his absence, especially Nate Britt and Joel Berry. Britt will most likely be the starting point guard and Theo Pinson will see extra minutes at shooting guard.
Last season, Paige led the team with 94 three-pointers and 170 assists, according to GoHeels. The team as a whole made 184 three-pointers and had 661 assists.
That means Paige hit more three-pointers than the rest of the team combined. J.P. Tokoto was second on the team with 163 assists, so the rest of the team had 328 assists without both Paige and Tokoto.
Injuries are never a good thing, but this might give the team a chance to discover new ways to score.
UNC will have to find ways to hit threes and be playmakers without Paige. An injury this early in the season could help in the long run. It will make them a more well-rounded team in the end.
Hopefully this is the first and last injury for Paige and the rest of the Heels this season. Stay healthy, and this year could be fun.