University of North Carolina freshman point guard Coby White has been balling lately. During Saturday’s matchup against Duke, he dropped 21 points, carving up their defense. White is no stranger to these scoring outbursts, however. In 30 games this season he’s scored 20+ points in nine of his outings. This includes dropping a staggering 34 points on Syracuse (2/24) and 33 on Texas (11/22) and Miami (2/9). After Saturday’s victory over the Blue Devils, the Tar Heels were crowned as the ACC regular season champions. White looks to improve his stock even more this season as tournament time begins.
Among the Elite
While White hasn’t officially commented on whether or not he will be staying another year, performances like these could make him a first-round draft pick in this year’s draft. White recently just surpassed Michael Jordan on the Tar Heels’ freshman scoring list. Earlier this season, he was projected to go undrafted by ESPN and NBADraft.net. Since his most recent outings, however, he’s risen into the 17th-26th pick range.
White isn’t the only freshman who will be drafted from UNC after this season comes to an end. 6’6 forward Nassir Little has caught the attention of some teams in the association, despite Little’s puzzling role in Roy Williams‘ offense. Bleacher Report’s most recent mock draft has Little going 15th overall to the Miami Heat.
Imminent Decision
Whatever White decides, it will be a tough decision to make come spring time. There’s no doubt Coby will be a difference maker during the tournament this year. He could opt to stay another year at to improve his FG% (44%) and increase his chances at being a lottery selection for the 2020 draft. Lottery selections in the NBA have a significantly higher pay scale the earlier the selection.
Duke legend Jay Williams gave his thoughts on Coby and Nassir’s pro potential:
Do you agree with Williams that Coby is a top-five freshman? Should Coby go pro and try his luck in the NBA? Or would you like to see him stay in Chapel Hill for one more year? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
