Things are about as clear as mud for UNC and Michael Malone when it comes to the future of standout youngster Matt Able. The NC State transfer, a 5-star shooting guard coming out of high school, has committed to Carolina, but he's putting on a show at the NBA Draft Combine.
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Because of this, there seems to be more worry that Able could stay in the draft and play in the league next season. However, people are excited by the fact that Able is promoting plenty of things UNC on his social media, including the recent commitment of 4-star wing Kevin Thomas.
With Able saying the two are going to 'run it back' together after suiting up with one another in high school, it feels like he's being pulled to Chapel Hill. On top of that, On3's Jamie Shaw just included Able on his list for the transfer playmakers who could 'shape the college basketball season' in 2026-27. This gives us a hint that confidence keeps growing that Able will be back in the ACC next year.
UNC commit Matt Able has until May 27 to pull his name out of the NBA Draft
"Able is someone who has more to his game than what he was able to show last season, as a freshman at NC State," Shaw wrote in his piece for On3. "He has quality positional size, but it is his ability to dribble, shoot, and pass to an advantage that leads to intrigue. Coming to UNC, Able, the 6-foot-5 guard, would be playing for a new head coach in Michael Malone, who has been able to get the best out of guys like Jamal Murray.
"Last season, his freshman year, he averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds on 35.5 percent shooting from three. A new team and a new situation, if Able does come back to college, look for a potentially significant step forward, along with a run at the top ten of next year’s NBA Draft."
It should be noted that Shaw did say that Able's NBA Draft decision has been made more complicated because of the strong Combine he's having. However, leading up to things, the overall expectation indeed was that he'd be back in college next season. The fact that Able could play his way into the Top 10 next year, per Shaw, is pretty head-turning too.
This is something that Michael Malone and his new staff can preach to the sharpshooter. For now, the majority of NBA Mock Drafts have Able going in the middle of the second round. If that stays the case, you'd have to assume that it'd be more than enough to make him realize that he needs to delay things by a year and go through a strong season with Carolina first.
If he gets feedback that he's going to be a lock to be a first-round pick, then even we'd encourage him to go pro - we don't think that's going to be the case here, though. Soon enough, Able will need to make his final call, as he has until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 27 to inform Malone if he's going to stay in the draft or don Carolina blue next season. His recent activity on Instagram is one thing, but the write-up from Shaw should give fans extra hope that he'll be an impact stud for Malone moving forward. We'll find out for sure come May 27 what he ends up doing, but UNC supporters should not lose faith here.
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