With North Carolina losing the player expected to be its highest scoring perimeter option in P.J. Hairston, roles changed for Roy Williams’ guards early in the 2013-14 season. Marcus Paige became the Tar Heels’ leading scorer while also being asked to serve as their primary distributor, and Nate Britt played just over 20 minutes per game at the point.
Britt was solid in his debut campaign, posting averages of 5.1 points and 2.4 assists per game for North Carolina. But there was a significant issue that Britt wanted to address during the offseason: his shooting. Britt shot just 36.7% from the field and 25.0% from beyond the arc last season, numbers that he’ll need to improve in 2014-15 in order to receive similar (or more) minutes.
Apparently Britt’s taken a step not seen too often when it comes to players looking to improve their shot: after shooting predominantly with his left hand in 2013-14, Britt will be taking the majority of his shots with his right hand in 2014-15.
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UNC confirms the @InsideCarolina thread about Nate Britt switching his shooting hand from lefty to righty. Hard to fathom for a guard.
— Mark Armstrong (@MarkPArmstrong) June 4, 2014
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While this move is rare it isn’t unprecedented, with Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Eisenberg noting in his story on Britt’s switch in shooting hands that Tristan Thompson of the Cleveland Cavaliers made a similar switch during an offseason. And there’s also the case of Drexel guard Tavon Allen, who’s ambidextrous and can shoot jump shots with either hand (he prefers to shoot lefty from beyond the arc).
Britt’s progression will be interesting to watch for two reasons: whether or not his percentages improve, and if opponents are caught off-guard by the player they last saw as a southpaw suddenly firing up jumpers with his right hand.