The anticipated UNC basketball debut of Jalen Washington

On Saturday afternoon, freshman big man Jalen Washington made his much-anticipated debut with the UNC basketball program.

Over the last few weeks, fans of the UNC basketball program waited anxiously for the debut of freshman big man Jalen Washington.

The four-star forward missed the beginning of the season as he rehabbed from an injury he suffered in high school. After sitting out the Tar Heels’ first 9 contests, Hubert Davis hinted at Washington possibly making his debut against Georgia Tech at home.

We waited for the majority of the game for it, but it ultimately happened.

Even though he saw just two minutes and 22 seconds of game action, it certainly left us all wanting to see more from the 6-foot-10 forward.

This is a big milestone in Washington’s recovery, as he hasn’t played in an actual since July 2021. His last high school game came in March of that year, while his AAU career came to a close a few months later.

Almost 17 months later, Washington is back on the court.

In his limited action, the freshman big man showed us a small glimpse of the shooting ability that people around the UNC basketball program seem to rave about. He attempted one shot and certainly made the most of it.

His teammates were beyond thrilled for him, as pouring water and ice on him was part of the team’s postgame locker room celebration. Senior Armando Bacot was asked about Washington’s debut, as he had some high praise for his fellow big man.

Of course, no one should expect Washington to play 30+ minutes a night at this point. However, expect Hubert Davis to ease him back into the mix, as the Tar Heels know that he can be a major asset within their regular rotation.

Now that he has officially made his debut, we’ll have to wait and see just what type of impact he’ll have as the season rolls along.

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