One of the biggest moves of the offseason for the UNC basketball program revolved around the addition of Arizona big man Henri Veesaar.
Following a season in which the Tar Heels were completely undersized, Veesaar brings a towering presence with a strong skillset that will make him an impact player from the word go. He's not alone in joining the Tar Heels this offseason, as the program has also added West Virginia transfer Jonathan Powell, along with former Colorado State guard Kyan Evans and Alabama forward Jarin Stevenson.
With plenty of the top transfers already committing to their next programs, Isaac Trotter of 247Sports put together his list of "favorite fits" for this given cycle. Veesaar was among the players discussed, as Trotter believes he will help take North Carolina's defense to a whole new level this upcoming season.
"This is an outstanding addition for a UNC defense that suddenly has a chance to have an elite defender at all three levels: Seth Trimble at the point of attack, Drake Powell on the wing and Veesaar on the back line. Add in toolsy, long five-star forward Caleb Wilson, and UNC can start envisioning a defense that can transcend into one of the better units in the country. This personnel should allow UNC to be a top-20 defense, at minimum. If not, something along the way went very, very wrong.
Veesaar can be the lynchpin behind all of it. His mere presence should allow Trimble and Powell to pressure the ball up even more aggressively, knowing they have a shot-blocker looming. The Arizona transfer was also well-coached to play multiple coverages. UNC can try some hard hedges. It can blitz pick-and-rolls if the matchup calls for it because of how mobile the big fella can be to rotate back into position. Any version of drop coverage should be in play, too."
It was no secret that the UNC basketball program needed to add a quality big man to their roster, especially after striking out on landing the top transfer portal big men that entered a year ago. The Tar Heels couldn't, and wouldn't, be denied, as they got arguably the best transfer big man that was available in this cycle.
Tar Heel fans should be excited for his arrival on campus, as he has the ability to provide a major impact on both ends of the floor.