Neoklis will be huge.
Among the many impressive moves North Carolina made this offseason, I believe this roster is getting more credit than it deserves, and Neoklis Avdalas was at the top of that list.
Avdalas, a Virginia Tech transfer, has already proven that he can be a very good player in the ACC. For a team like North Carolina, adding players who have already proven to be difference-makers in such an elite conference was a top priority, and they found a way to do just that.
Among the questions the Tar Heels have to answer next year, bringing in guys like Avdalas and seeing what kind of production they can have next to the other players is at the top of the list.
As for Avdalas, the interesting part is that he can impact the game in multiple ways. This isn't a guy who just scores and does nothing else, which is often the case in college basketball.
Nearly 6-foot-10, Avdalas can impact the game in many ways. He's a great passer, can defend multiple spots, and when he's playing well, he's a serviceable three-point shooter.
There were times over the past year or so at Virginia Tech when he struggled to score efficiently, but for the most part, he's an above-average scorer, passer, and defender. Head coach Michael Malone has been very impressed with what he's done throughout the first couple of months, adding that he was a player he really wanted to get in the portal.
“(Avdalas) is a guy that was such an important get because of his size and his positional size,” Michael Malone said earlier this month, per On3. “But also his vision and his playmaking, are what separate Neo Avdalas from a lot of other players.”
Avdalas has also said a lot of the right things since coming to North Carolina, recently speaking about his passing ability.
If he can be a point guard and facilitate at the level everyone expects, the Tar Heels' offense will be one of the more impressive in the country.
“I always had vision and passing ability as a kid,” Avdalas said. “Thank God I didn’t lose my handle skills. I worked on that, so now I’m able to still play point guard, too.”
