The most wonderful time of the year — the return of the NBA – is almost upon us. The media days of various teams have been taking place throughout the week, giving UNC fans their first look at the former North Carolina players getting ready to suit up for the 2019-20 season.
Several players have been on the move, too, with multiple former Tar Heels getting ready to play for new teams. Here's what you need to know about the UNC pros, broken down by age group:
The new guys
After the 2019 NBA Draft, two of the youngest Tar Heel pros combined to give us one of the best memes of the summer:
That's right: it's Coby White and Cameron Johnson, UNC's latest lottery picks. White was taken No. 7 overall by the Chicago Bulls, while Johnson, in the shocker of the night, was selected 11th by the Phoenix Suns.
The Bulls showed off White as their shiny new point guard of the future yesterday but also refrained from naming him the starter. He'll have to battle with Kris Dunn and Tomas Satoransky for playing time as the Bull's lead guard, but he should get plenty of opportunities to show off his downcourt speed and scoring ability.
As for Johnson, he's probably in the mix for the Suns somewhere behind Kelly Oubre and Mikal Bridges for minutes at small forward. He could also see time as a power forward situationally if the Suns decide to go small around Deandre Ayton.
Nassir Little is also set to begin his rookie year – he was taken No. 25 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers – but likely won't see much playing time in his first season. Expect him to spend most of 2019-20 developing behind Portland wings like Rodney Hood, Kent Bazemore and Mario Hezonja, or playing in the G League.
