North Carolina Tar Heels: What’s Theo Pinson Thinking?
The North Carolina Tar Heels knew that two of their guys would make declarations, but they probably didn’t see the third guy coming.
The North Carolina Tar Heels got some news today. It had to do with the draft declaration deadline that had run out at midnight this morning. Sure enough, the Tar Heels had other players than just Justin Jackson declare for the upcoming NBA Draft. Tony Bradley did as he suggested he would on championship night. Joel Berry did too. So did Theo Pinson, because Pinson can’t let anybody steal the show from him.
Berry and Bradley were predicted to make this move. Both are going in to the draft process without agents in order to maintain their eligibility for next year’s college season. Their prospects at outright leaving are a bit different.
Bradley is a 6’10” body with a long wingspan. He’s still a little raw, but his measurables alone put him in a conversation near the first round. The first round is the magic number here. That is where the guaranteed money is. Since the draft could be unpredictable, you really want to be projected around twenty to guarantee that you will be a first-rounder.
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Bradley currently sits somewhere in the thirties in mock drafts. That is the land of return, since that is second round territory. However it also means that Bradley might raise his stock a few spots through the combine or workouts. That would place him at the end of the first round with no guarantees of being a first rounder.
Since college players improve the most between their freshman and sophomore seasons (in most cases) then Bradley can use the feedback from this dry run to show real improvement next year. That might be enough to sew up his first round ticket in 2018 not 2017. Alternatively, he only needs to impress one team enough to get a draft night promise now.
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Berry is a six foot or thereabouts guard. The numbers of those kinds of guys reduce his value almost immediately in the eyes of scouts. His draft projection is late second, which is not the right answer for sticking around in the process all the way to draft night. However, Berry will get to see what NBA scouts think he needs to improve in his game and bring that back with him.
Nobody expected to see Theo Pinson in the conversation. Pinson has been a glue guy for the Heels, but his shot needs a lot of work. Before scratching your head at what Theo could be up to, remember that the NBA and NCAA allow a player a do-over to enter the draft. You can go through the process up to a point and then still return as long if you still have your amateur status intact.
The point is that every junior should theoretically declare for the draft. They will all have to leave the next year anyway, so why not take advantage of the situation for more feedback. Yes, teams have to want to work you out or invite you to combines. Pinson will find teams with Carolina connections to work him out if no one else. Then he too will have a to-do list when he comes back for his senior season.
Realistically, they should all come back. Yet they all have the chance to get evaluated and decide for themselves. Even Pinson.