UNC Basketball: Stock rising for one freshman in latest NBA Mock Draft

The stock for one UNC Basketball player is quickly rising in terms of the 2021 NBA Draft and he’s still getting better as the year goes on

The UNC Basketball season is just a few weeks old and the NBA is set to restart again this week with preseason. But it’s never too early for a look at an updated NBA Mock Draft for next season.

The latest from Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo doesn’t focus fully on a mock draft but instead a big board going into this season. Through the first few weeks and five games, Woo has two UNC freshman ranked in the Top 20 on his big board after watching their play.

Going into the year, point guard Caleb Love was considered UNC’s top prospect in terms of NBA stock but now it appears as if another freshman has passed him.

Woo has freshman center Day’Ron Sharpe as his highest-rated UNC player on his big board, checking in at No. 14 in the updated list. In the initial rankings for Woo, Sharpe is considered a lottery pick with his play through the first five games. Here is what Woo said about Sharpe’s game so far:

"Although Sharpe has been coming off the bench to start the season, he’s pretty clearly North Carolina’s best player right now, and has begun building a case as their most intriguing prospect. Sharpe is skilled and productive enough to break the stigma surrounding traditional centers. He’s incredibly active and involves himself in almost every facet of play, using his length and soft hands to rebound and block shots, and impressive passing vision to link possessions together and deliver assists. The Tar Heels are simply a better team when Sharpe is on the floor, and while he’s played just 45% of available minutes so far, that number should probably trend up."

The 6-foot-11, 265-pound freshman was the first player to commit to the Tar Heels’ 2021 recruiting class and since then, he’s made significant progress in his game. Sharpe has improved a lot since his commitment a few years back and is one of UNC’s best players early on.

While coming off the bench, Sharpe should see an increase in minutes played as the year goes on as his role should develop more, giving him the chance improve his stock even more.

As for Love, you don’t have to go far down the list to see his name either.

Love was UNC’s highest-rated prospect coming out of high school in the 2021 class but this season has been a struggle for him. The guard is struggling with his shot early on and has been as consistent as some would like. Still, the ceiling appears high for him as Woo writes:

"Love was the higher-touted North Carolina freshman coming into the season, but has struggled majorly out of the gate, making just 34% of his twos and shooting 3-for-19 from three through four games. Granted, it’s a small sample size, and he’s adjusting to a lot of responsibilities, and it may not matter much as he gets more comfortable. There’s still a lot to like: Love brings nice size, speed and strength as a ballhandler, he’s comfortable playing in the open floor, he’s a good technical passer, he defends, and he’s competitive and tough. Though streaky, he’s made improvements as a shooter over the past year, and I’d expect those percentages to tick upward."

Like Sharpe, Love has the opportunity to get better and turn things around this season. Finding his shot would go a long way to improving his stock as the season goes on.

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