Although UNC doesn’t have any players expected to hear their names called in the early portion of Thursday’s NBA Draft, do-it-all senior Theo Pinson has seen his name rise up draft boards throughout the offseason workout process.
Pinson was initially left off the list of players invited to this year’s draft combine, before ultimately earning a late invitation as an alternate–where he was given an opportunity to showcase his diverse skill set in front of NBA scouts.
Expectations were lifted a bit more last week during UNC head coach Roy Williams’ summer press conference when he told reporters his beliefs on Pinson’s chances a the next level.
“I think Theo is an NBA player,” Williams said. “I think he can play in the NBA, I think he can be successful in the NBA. He’s something the NBA wants; they want athletes, they want shooters, they want playmakers and I think he’s a fantastic playmaker.”
Theo Pinson’s ability to read the floor and distribute the ball have given him the potential to sneak into the NBA Draft’s second round on Thursday. (Todd Melet)
While fellow senior Joel Berry was technically the team’s point guard over the past few years, Pinson demonstrated time and time again how advanced his court vision is with the ball in his hands.
Despite playing every position on the floor for the Tar Heels at different times–including center–the 6-foot-6-inch Greensboro native may have the best shot to succeed at the NBA level as an oversized point guard.
“I’m trying to get people to look at him as a point guard,” Williams said, of Pinson. “He wasn’t called that because we had a pretty good guy at the point guard spot, but Theo was more of a playmaker than anybody we had.”
The major knock, and rightfully so, on Pinson’s game has been his struggle to make shots from behind the three-point line. He shot just 22 percent from long range as a senior and 25 percent for his entire collegiate career—eliciting loud groans from the Smith Center crowd any time he pulled the trigger on those shots.
On the flip side, however, his flashy passes often got the crowd to their feet as he created numerous scoring chances out of nowhere for his teammates.
Pinson actually led the Tar Heels with 5.1 assists per game last season, to go along with averages of 10.3 points and 6.5 rebounds. On top of that, he showed the ability to guard any player on the floor regardless of position–allowing Williams to use smaller lineups featuring 6-foot-8 forward Luke Maye as the center.
“He’s 6-6, so they like that size as a point guard,” Williams said. “Everybody asks questions about whether the ball is going in the basket when he shoots it, but there’s a lot of guys that have been successful in the NBA that didn’t shoot it as well as everybody wanted them to, and I think Theo can be that kind of guy because he can make plays for other people.”
NBADraft.net currently has Pinson ranked as the No. 83 overall prospect in the draft, but it’s crucial to remember that there are only 60 picks across the draft’s two rounds.
It’s no guarantee that Pinson will hear his name called on Thursday. But if he does wind up finding a home sometime during the second round, it will be his skills as a playmaker that likely earn him that spot.
Photo via Todd Melet
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