The Knox and Bradley verdicts are crucial for the 2018 Tar Heels.
The first of two decisions by tall teenagers who could have a big say in the 2018 ACC basketball standings, if not the national polls, is supposed to come this weekend when 6-foot-9 Kevin Knox makes his long-ballyhooed announcement of where he is going to school.
For weeks, if not months, Duke has been the pick of those following this five-star Tampa, Florida, recruit. One poll, if you could call it that, has Duke with an 83 percent chance of landing Knox and UNC with only a 13 percent chance. But remember, Nate Silver had Hillary Clinton with a 70 percent chance of winning the presidency.
The Blue Devils have plenty of room for the 203-pound small forward with seven departures from their roster last season. But while Mike Krzyzewski doesn’t like to number the positions of his players, Knox may still wind up as a post man if he goes to Durham since Duke lost all its experienced big men. But with more height than muscle, Knox may rather play on the perimeter.
Carolina is banking on Justin Jackson, or the lack thereof, to land Knox. The Tar Heels have a set position for Knox, who is about the same height and weight as JJ, who turned pro after his ACC Player of the Year and All-American season. Knox supposedly has a similar skill set to Jackson, so if Roy Williams pulls the so-called upset and lands Knox, that very well may be the reason.
The other decision that could shape Carolina basketball moving forward is whether Tony Bradley, the 6-10 freshman, pulls out of the NBA draft and returns for his sophomore year. That is more like at 50-50 right now, as Bradley is projected a late first-round pick but could come back and move up to the lottery as a starter.
With Joel Berry and Theo Pinson already set to play their senior seasons, Bradley teaming with Luke Maye and three other young big men Roy has signed would give the Tar Heels a quality and deep front court. Bradley is so much on the minds of UNC fans that a state lawmaker proposed an amendment requiring the young’un to go back to college. It was not allowed and was just a joke – I think.
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