How Theo Pinson has evolved as a passer, and what it means for UNC

The third of Theo Pinson’s seven assists on Thursday was also his quickest, a pass that he delivered a fraction of a second after Pinson, the North Carolina senior forward, found himself with possession while he stood in the post, near the basket.

When the ball came to him, Pinson quickly rid himself of it, and shuffled a quick, soft pass to Garrison Brooks. The Tar Heels’ freshman forward then completed the play with an aggressive dunk, and he pointed to the passer as is the custom at UNC.

There were about seven minutes left in the first half then, and the Tar Heels were already well on their way to a 102-78 victory against Portland in the first round of the PK80, the Nike sponsored tournament that is a celebration of Nike founder Phil Knight’s 80th birthday. For UNC, it was a victory that showcased its balance, its efficiency and, in several moments, Pinson’s enviable talent for passing.

That Pinson is a skilled passer and a “playmaker,” as coach Roy Williams put it several times on Thursday, is nothing new. Williams, after all, has long praised Pinson as his team’s most proficient passer. Four games into this season, though, Pinson appears to be an even more adept passer than he was when he first began to earn Williams’ admiration for the skill.

Pinson’s pass to Brooks, for the dunk, was but one example on Thursday. There were several others, including the two passes early in the second half that led to 3-pointers – one from Joel Berry, who finished with 18 points, and another to Kenny Williams, who finished with 17. Their 3-pointers in the first few minutes of the second half were part of an 18-5 run UNC (4-0) used to seize control.

On the first of those passes, Pinson was near the baseline, close to the basket, when he found Berry open on the right wing. Moments later, Pinson found Williams with another quick pass, which allowed Williams an opportunity to attempt a shot without the challenge of defensive pressure. It went in, and UNC’s lead grew to 21 points.

The Tar Heels were never better on Thursday than they were during those first few minutes after halftime. And Pinson played an active role in the success, with assists on UNC’s first three made shots of the half.

“It’s just been something I’ve been gifted to have my whole life,” Pinson said afterward of his talent for putting his teammates in a position to succeed.

During UNC’s first game of the season, an 86-69 victory against Northern Iowa, Pinson diverged from his approach on offense. Instead of penetrating the lane in hopes of creating scoring chances – either for himself or, more often, his teammates – Pinson attempted six 3-pointers and made only one of them.

He remembered that performance on Thursday, after he finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Pinson said his shooting woes against Northern Iowa reaffirmed his desire to play more like he did against Portland (2-2). On Thursday, he consistently challenged the defense.

He finished one drive to the basket with a swooping scoop shot of a layup. Most often, he drew defenders closer to him, and then he passed to open teammates, who usually took advantage of their opportunity.

“My teammates know when I go to the basket, probably 90, 85 percent of the time, I’m looking to pass it,” Pinson said. “So they try to get open more and I’m just happy they knock down shots. It’s really on them. I do the hard part, they do the easy part.”

He was joking, perhaps. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell with Pinson, who is known as the team’s jester – a player who has made Roy Williams laugh perhaps more than any other during Williams’ tenure at UNC. Either way, though, Pinson’s primary point remained: “I have a gift of making plays,” he said, “and when I get to the basket good things happen, so I’m trying to stay aggressive.”

Pinson has now led UNC in assists in three of its first four games. The victory on Thursday represented the 24th time in his 89 college games that he has led the Tar Heels in assists. Williams expected Pinson to be this kind of passer, and playmaker, when he recruited Pinson during his high school years, and yet Pinson’s emergence as a passer has come with experience as much as it is a result of his talent.

“He sees the court really good, the only problem was sometimes his freshman year, particularly, he didn’t see the defensive player,” Williams said. “And it’s like a quarterback, you’ve got to see the defensive back, also. But he’s a playmaker, he always has been.”

Indeed, Pinson on Thursday thought back to his freshman season, and to what Williams so often recited to him: “Theo you’re a playmaker,” Pinson said, remembering Williams’ words, “but you’ve got to stop turning the ball over.”

“That’s one thing I’ve been trying to turn down,” Pinson said. “I had three of them today, which are silly. But once I cut those down, I’ll be all right.”

Pinson came close on Thursday to finishing with a triple-double. He needed one more rebound, three more assists. Williams has never coached a player who has had a triple-double, though he said after the victory against Portland that Pinson “could be the first.”

Regardless of whether that happens, Pinsons’s productivity as a passer has allowed the Tar Heels the rare luxury of playing, essentially, with two point guards. There is their true point guard, in Berry. And then there’s Pinson, who is as positionless a player as Williams has coached during his 15 seasons at UNC.

When Pinson is running the offense – penetrating through and around defenders, setting up teammates – Berry is a primary benefactor. In those moments, Berry need not be concerned with much of anything aside from putting himself in the best possible position to be on the other end of one of Pinson’s passes.

“That’s one thing I talked to coach about at the beginning of the season,” Berry said, “was just trying to get off the ball a little bit more. Teams kind of can contain me when I’m bringing the ball up the court every time, and not being able to get out to the wing … so having somebody like Theo, knowing that if they collapse in on him while he’s going to the basket, I can set my feet and get ready for a shot.”

That happened but once on Thursday, on Berry’s 3 early in the second half. Pinson’s seven assists went to four players. Three of those assists resulted in layups. Two of them resulted in dunks. Then there were the two 3-pointers moments after halftime. Asked afterward to describe the process through which he has become a better passer, Pinson said, “It’s just something I’ve been doing my whole life.”

Four games into this season, though, he is doing it even more effectively.

This story was originally published November 23, 2017 at 7:25 PM with the headline "How Theo Pinson has evolved as a passer, and what it means for UNC."