There are a number of things happening in the NBA Draft Combine that is worth UNC fans keeping an eye on, but the most important when it comes to what next season could look like is the Matt Able situation. The former NC State guard is going through the draft process to get feedback, but the door was always left open that he could stay in the draft. That has made Carolina fans nervous, and of course, it has made NC State fans troll harder than usual.
Following an excellent showing in yesterday’s scrimmage,
someone asked Able whether or not he might stay in the NBA Draft. Here is what he had to say:
“It’s definitely a tough decision. I love UNC, I’m excited to get over there at some point … I’m still back and forth on it. I gotta think about it some more, get with my camp and figure it out.”
Able goes on to say that where he is projected to go will determine if he will play for UNC in the 2o26-27 season. It’s not terribly surprising to hear him say that, but what is giving fans deja vu is that Henri Veesaar essentially said the same thing before deciding to completely commit to the NBA. Does that mean that Able will decide to do the same thing? Not necessarily, but it cannot be ruled out that he may take second-round money over whatever UNC is paying him.
It’s worth noting that Able’s former teammate, Kevin Thomas, just committed to UNC, and Able took to Instagram to respond to the news:
There is an existential paradox that goes: everything is nothing, nothing is something, and something is what you make of it. One could argue that it applies to this situation — does his Instagram post mean anything? What about him wearing a Tar Heels shirt during his interview? Also, can we really take what he said about how he’s making his decision at face value? It all means nothing until it means something, but hopefully it will mean something soon so Michael Malone will know what next steps to take in building his roster.
