Though Ed Davis is a gifted athlete with the potential to become a very good basketball player, the sophomore forward never really had a huge impact on North Carolina's program.
That being the case, it's difficult to say his decision Monday to move on to the NBA is a crippling blow to the Tar Heels.
Although Davis - who missed the final 13 games of the season after breaking his wrist against Duke - was a fairly consistent scorer, he contributed most at shot-blocking and rebounding.
The 6-foot-10, 225-pound player's best moments came as the sixth man on the 2008-09 national champions. He played an important role for that team, but the Tar Heels almost certainly would have won the title without him.
Essentially, Davis will be remembered much the same as Marvin Williams and Brandan Wright, who turned pro after one season at Carolina. Combined, the talented trio played 134 games, or a few less than Deon Thompson alone. They didn't stay around long enough to make much of an impression.
What Davis' exit does change is the necessity for freshman John Henson to improve his offense quickly.
Lean, quick and an explosive jumper, Henson originally was projected as a wing forward. But that was a reach all along. Based on his performances to date, it would take Henson an entire college career to upgrade his perimeter shooting accuracy and ball-handling skills enough to qualify as an effective small forward.
Davis' departure, coupled with the arrival of highly rated wing-forward recruit Harrison Barnes, also simplifies the off-season planning for Roy Williams and his staff.
Assuming there is no more major attrition, the Nos. 4 and 5 positions' playing time will be sorted out among Tyler Zeller, Henson, David Wear and Travis Wear.
Barnes and Will Graves will compete for minutes at small forward, with newcomer Reggie Bullock joining Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald in the wing guard mix.
Larry Drew II and newcomer Kendall Marshall likely will share the point guard role.
On paper, it adds up to more than enough talent to be a top-20 team nationally.
But talent and execution are entirely different issues. The latter is where Carolina must make long strides to reverse a 5-11 ACC record.
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