Former NC State guard Matt Able was a huge pickup for Michael Malone in the Transfer Portal this offseason, but since he committed to UNC, Malone and everyone in Chapel Hill have been holding their breath. Coming off a strong freshman season in Raleigh, Able also entered the NBA Draft, and while he’s largely projected to be a second-round pick, his intentions still aren’t clear.Â
Able has until May 27 to withdraw from the draft and head to Chapel Hill. That remains the most likely outcome, but it’s not a certainty. As that deadline approaches, doubt has inevitably crept into the minds of some UNC fans, and it inevitably prompts the question: What happens if Able does stay in the draft?Â
Well, catastrophe is a strong word, but it would be pretty close to that for Michael Malone. The move could free up some money to help Malone turn back overseas and find a replacement on the wing, but it’s so late in the process to start that type of recruitment. There aren’t any viable Able replacements left in the portal, and there likely wouldn’t be any available on the international market either. So, unless Malone is interested in shamelessly recruiting a G Leaguer and spending the offseason in eligibility battles with the NCAA, he’d be forced to find the answer on his own roster.Â
The best option, or the one with the highest upside, at least, is a player who stayed in Chapel Hill through the coaching transition and a player who played just 34 total minutes across 10 games for the Tar Heels last season: Isaiah Denis. So the question will become: Can Michael Malone get more out of the sophomore guard?
Isaiah Denis could be a big x-factor for UNC this season with and especially without Matt Able
The 60th-ranked recruit in the country, Denis hardly saw the floor last season. During the summer, Denis reinjured the same finger that had kept him out for some of his senior season, and it sidelined him for a significant chunk of his first offseason as a Tar Heel.Â
With his development interrupted, Denis was never ready to contribute to a UNC backcourt that desperately needed scoring pop from the backcourt once it was clear that the Kyan Evans move had gone bust. If Able gets the first-round guarantee he’s seemingly after, UNC will need that scoring pop between Terrence Brown and Neoklis Avdalas, and Denis might have the best chance of providing it.Â
Able is more than just a spot-up shooter. He can attack close-outs off the bounce, initiate secondary action, and even, for a few possessions a game, run the show offensively. Jaydon Young would likely replace Able in the starting lineup, but he’s more siloed as a low-usage rate offensive player with a shot diet that consists primarily of catch-and-shoot threes. Denis, if he reaches his potential, or something closer to it than the limited sample UNC saw in Year 1, can provide more than that.Â
At 6-foot-6, Denis has a similar size profile to Able, and he was a high-efficiency catch-and-shoot player. While Young has been under 30 percent from three for his college career, Denis shot 36 percent in EYBL play on almost six attempts per game and was 92nd percentile among EYBL players on catch-and-shoot contested threes.Â
That shooting is important to pair with Terrence Brown, who shot under 30 percent from deep on low volume for a 20-point-per-game scorer last year. That’s not all Denis can do, however. If he hits his ceiling, he projects as a three-level scorer with enough athleticism to get to the rim and create space for his jumper.Â
His swing skill will be finishing at the rim, which he didn’t do well in EYBL play with his slim frame. Whether or not Able returns, UNC’s swing-skill, with a lineup built of oversized playmakers like Avdalas and five-star freshman Maximo Adams on the wing, will be shooting, and the spacing it provides. That’s why Able was such a major pickup, and it makes Denis a potential X-factor, whether or not Able stays in the draft. Without Able, Denis could quickly become one of UNC’s most important players.
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