UNC Basketball: Tar Heels in the Pros Update: January 16

Here’s our weekly update on how our former UNC basketball standouts are doing with their respective professional basketball teams. 

Coby White and Walker Kessler had breakout weeks, as they performed the best amongst the former Tar Heels in the NBA. On the injury side, Nassir Little returned from a head injury suffered a few months ago. Cam Johnson of the Phoenix Suns is nearing a return from his knee injury as well.

Cole Anthony: Orlando Magic

It was a tough week for Anthony and the Magic, as they lost three of their four contests.

The former Tar Heel had some struggles of his own, as he made just seven of his 30-shot attempts over the span. His best performance of the week came in a blowout loss to the Sacramento Kings, a game in which he scored eight points while recording seven rebounds and three assists.

Season Stats: 26 Games Played (3 starts), 11.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.3 APG

Harrison Barnes: Sacramento Kings

Barnes continues to go under the radar as one of the most underrated role players in the league.

He had a huge week in helping the Kings to a 4-0 record, as he averaged 25.5 points while scoring at least 27 in three of the four games. The Kings are now 4th in the West heading into this week, and Barnes has had a lot to do with that.

Season Stats: 42 Games Played (42 starts), 15.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 48.8 FG%

Tony Bradley: Chicago Bulls

Bradley missed five straight games due to COVID-19 protocols but was available on Sunday. He didn’t end up playing, as he hasn’t appeared in a game since December. With Andre Drummond as the team’s primary backup, Bradley is stuck as the third option at center. Barring an injury, he’s unlikely to see the floor much at all for the remainder of the season.

Season Stats: 9 Games Played (0 starts), 2.8 MPG, 1.3 PPG, 1.1 RPG

Reggie Bullock: Dallas Mavericks

It’s been a down season for Bullock, as he’s shooting just 33.8% from three-point range. He had a season-high 24 points on Saturday, which is actually tied for the second-best mark of his 10-year career.

Bullock followed that up with 10 points on Sunday, the first time he’s reached double figures in back-to-back games since early December. He went 14-for-31 (45.2%) from three on the week, hopefully, a sign that he overcomes this season-long slump.

Season Stats: 43 Games Played (30 starts), 5.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 36.4 FG%

Justin Jackson: Boston Celtics

Jackson continues to mainly ride the bench for Boston, who have plenty of depth at the wing position. He played a total of five minutes across two Celtics wins, failing to score in both games.

Season Stats: 19 Games Played (0 starts), 4.4 MPG, 0.8 PPG, 0.5 RPG

Walker Kessler: Utah Jazz

Kessler has had a phenomenal rookie season for a Jazz team that has been better than expected.

He started all three games this past week, averaging 11.3 points and 10.7 rebounds in 29 minutes per contest. His 6.8 rebounds per game on the season rank third-best amongst rookies. He also has by far the most blocks of any rookie, averaging two per game.

Season Stats: 43 Games Played (9 starts), 7.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.0 BPG

Nassir Little: Portland Trail Blazers

After signing a four-year, $28 million extension this past offseason, Little suffered a right femoral head impaction fracture back in November. It’s been the theme of his career, as he has failed to consistently stay on the court.

He was able to return to action on Sunday against the Mavericks, where he appeared in 16 minutes. Little looked good in limited action, providing 10 points and two blocks while going 3/5 from three-point range.

Season Stats: 22 Games Played (0 starts), 5.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 47.4 FG%

Theo Pinson: Dallas Mavericks

Like Jackson, Pinson has been at the end of the bench for most of the season. He remains a huge locker room guy for the Mavericks, thus why he has probably stuck around so long in Dallas.

With several Mavericks unavailable on Sunday, Pinson saw a season-high 21 minutes. On Saturday, he put up a season-high 11 points, his first time putting up double-digits in the 2022-23 campaign. He also made three deep balls, but will likely return to the end of the bench when Dallas returns to full health.

Season Stats: 23 Games Played (0 starts), 5.5 MPG, 1.8 PPG, 1.2 RPG

Day’Ron Sharpe: Brooklyn Nets

Sharpe saw the floor on Saturday for the first time in nearly two weeks. In the Nets’ 10-point loss, he failed to score in six minutes of action. He provided two rebounds and a block, as he continues to struggle to get playing time for the second-place Nets.

Season Stats: 21 Games Played (1 start), 8.8 MPG, 3.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG

Coby White: Chicago Bulls

White’s been the subject of trade rumors for a while, but he remains with the Bulls for now. The team has plenty of smaller guards, as he has yet to see a start this season. If Lonzo Ball returns this season, White will likely get even less playing time.

With a few injuries in the Bulls lineup, White saw a ton of action and provided his best three-game stretch of the year. He averaged 15.7 points per contest, grabbing a total of 13 rebounds and dishing out eight assists on the week. In the three games, he shot 54.6% from the field, while going 9-for-16 from three (56.3%).

Season Stats: 36 Games Played (0 starts), 8.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.9 APG

Heels in the G-League

Garrison Brooks: Westchester Knicks

Season Stats: 6 Games Played,12.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG

Brooks has dealt with an ankle injury this season, which has forced him to miss some time. He remains in the G-League, as he’ll need to put up some big performances to get called up by the Knicks.

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