UNC Basketball: NBA Draft stock falling for one Tar Heel standout

NBA Draft stock is falling for one UNC basketball standout, who may have to wait until the second round to hear his name called.

North Carolina freshman center Day’Ron Sharpe declared for the NBA Draft just days after the Tar Heels’ season ended at the hands of the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64.

Sharpe’s draft stock went up and down throughout his freshman campaign in Chapel Hill; the highs thanks to his tremendous size and upside, and the lows due to his raw offensive skill set and inconsistency.

The 6-foot-11, 265-pound big man from Greenville, North Carolina averaged 9.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in his lone collegiate season. He shot nearly 52 percent from the floor, and established himself as one of the nation’s most lethal offensive rebounders.

Despite that, Sharpe’s stock for the upcoming NBA Draft has been falling in recent weeks, with most mock drafts placing him in the lower echelon of the first round. In some cases, he’s even seen as an early second round selection.

In Rookie Wire’s 2021 NBA Mock Draft consensus 3.0 — which aggregates a number of mock drafts from outlets such as ESPN, Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report — Sharpe is the projected No. 29 pick. Sharpe’s average draft position as of now is 27.4, with his most favorable draft position being No. 21. Two mock drafts currently rank him outside of the draft’s first round.

There’s no telling what could happen to Sharpe’s draft stock in the coming months, particularly with pre-draft workouts and camps prior to the event on July 29. With solid performances leading up to the draft, Sharpe could see his stock improve significantly. Poor performances, on the other hand, could cause him to go in the opposite direction.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Day’Ron Sharpe, and the UNC basketball program.