October might be the best sports month of the year. The NFL and college football are in full swing, the MLB postseason is ramping up into the world series, and the NBA and NHL seasons get started to boot.
Of those pro seasons, the most relevant to UNC interests is probably that last bit — though Drake Maye’s ascendance might make him the most prominent pro Heel in the country sooner rather than later. The NBA preseason is just about over and the first games of 82 are about to begin, so the time is ripe to check in on the UNC alumni in the Association. The picture looks a little different this year than it has the past few after some player movement and another Tar Heel drafted, so if you haven’t been following this NBA offseason, there might be some stuff here that surprises you.
Cameron Johnson – Denver Nuggets
Johnson has been very nearly an archetypal NBA role player since he was drafted, both as a low-usage player in Phoenix and then as a more featured off-ball player on a languishing Brooklyn team. After a career year with the Nets where he averaged 19 points and 3.4 assists a game on 39% shooting from distance, he made himself a very attractive trade piece to a better team. That’s exactly what happened, and he’ll be back to playing on a contender this year after the Nets traded him to the Nuggets for a very similar, if younger and more aggressive player in Michael Porter Jr. He’s been quiet so far this preseason, but his play style should make it pretty easy for him to fit into a new team and the Nuggets organization seems excited about what they have. If he can stay healthy and keep filling up the hoop, he could be a key part of getting Denver back into title contention.
Coby White – Chicago Bulls
The Bulls have — finally — appeared to commit to developing the youth they have instead of chasing enough wins to maybe sneak into the play-in game each year. After the All-Star break last year, White really blossomed into the face of this youth movement, averaging 24/4/4 on 49/37/90 splits in the Bulls’ last 26 games. This will probably be a bit of a “process” year for the Bulls, but White will probably be the player making them fun to watch if not outright competitive — if he keeps up his play from the end of last year, it’s not out of the question that he could earn an All-Star nod. His season’s off to an inauspicious start as he’s missed most of the preseason with a calf strain, but it shouldn’t affect him for long.
Cole Anthony – Milwaukee Bucks
Anthony had an adventure this offseason — he was first traded away from the Orlando Magic to the Memphis Grizzlies in a big week-before-draft-night deal, then agreed with the Grizzlies to a buyout a month later. He then signed as a free agent with the Bucks and appears to have a much clearer role in Milwaukee as part of the point guard rotation than he did with Orlando’s carousel of young ballhandlers who they prioritized differently at different times. When Anthony started last year due to injuries, he played some of his best ball, averaging 14 points on 39% shooting from distance and 53% eFG, but he still ended up the odd man out in that backcourt. His defense is still below average given how much size and length he gives up to the opposition, but there’s some hope having Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner behind him will mitigate those concerns. Giannis, for his part, appears really excited about playing with Anthony, and he’s getting good reviews running the second unit in preseason.
Day’Ron Sharpe – Brooklyn Nets
Sharpe re-signed with the Nets for a slight raise from his rookie deal this offseason. He’s been a reliable backup big for them the past two years — his averages of 18 minutes, 7.9 points, and 6.6 rebounds per game last year were all slight increases on 2023. With Nic Claxton still occupying the bulk of the center minutes, his role doesn’t seem super set to change unless Claxton is moved, which is more than possible. It’ll be interesting to see how the Nets figure out the pecking order in their frontcourt with a bunch of new, young additions this past offseason.
Drake Powell – Brooklyn Nets
After trading Johnson, I guess the Nets had to do something to maintain their balance of Heels, and they did just that by drafting Powell 22nd overall in this year’s draft. The Nets have a bit of a glut at the wing, with the aforementioned Porter Jr as the presumptive starter and Ziaire Williams and Terance Mann backing him up. I think Powell’s probably a better player than those backups, but an offseason knee injury wasn’t going to help him break into that rotation. He’ll more than likely spend some time rehabbing with the Nets’ G-League affiliate on Long Island before they test him as an NBA player.
Harrison Barnes – San Antonio Spurs
The Black Falcon is an NBA elder statesman at this point, approaching his 14th year in the league. He started every game for the Spurs last year and did what he’s done ever since he started this latter phase of his career — provided size and great shooting numbers on low usage from the wing while allowing the stars to shine brighter. He averaged 12.2 points a game on 50/43/81 splits in 2024 while Victor Wembanyama ascended to being one of the league’s best players, but the Spurs were wracked with turmoil amidst Gregg Popovich’s declining health and eventual retirement. He’ll be expected to do more of the same this year, maybe taking more of a backseat for the sake of his legs and the Spurs’ youth — but he’s also a key locker room presence with his age and high character.
Harrison Ingram – San Antonio Spurs (two-way)
After being selected in the second round last year, Ingram signed a two-way deal with the Spurs and spent a year developing with their G-League affiliate in Austin. He started most of the year in Austin and averaged 12.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, a statline that looks pretty familiar to Tar Heel fans. The downside of that performance was that he shot just 28.1% on three-pointers. Given his long release and a necessary adjustment to the NBA line, this wasn’t an unpredictable outcome, but it’s obviously going to have to improve if he wants to be a part of the Spurs’s future. He’ll be on a two-way deal again this year, giving him the perfect opportunity to make that leap without a ton of external pressure on him.
Pete Nance – Milwaukee Bucks (two-way)
Nance was on and off part-time contracts for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers for the first year and a half of his NBA career, but the Bucks saw something in him that might just have come to fruition and give him some stability as a fringe league player — which is no small feat. In the Bucks’ last game of the regular season last year, Nance showed out with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists on 7/12 shooting (5/9 from 3), earning himself another two-way contract with Milwaukee for this year. He did much the same to Miami in his first preseason game before seeing limited action in the Bucks’ next two, and he could genuinely have a role backing up Myles Turner at times this year.
Tony Bradley – Indiana Pacers (non-guaranteed)
It’s been a rough couple of years for Bradley, who was demoted from an average backup big to being mostly a G-League player the last couple of years before signing a contract with the Pacers at the end of last season. There’s available playing time in the Pacers’ frontcourt after Myles Turner’s departure, but reports are that Bradley is fighting for the third backup spot and is far from guaranteed to make the opening-day roster — and because of his particular contract, the Pacers aren’t beholden to pay him any longer if he does end up being cut. There’s room somewhere in the league for a hyper-efficient around-the-basket scorer who rebounds well, but he’s going to have to show a little more somewhere — on the defensive end is most likely, where he could get some rim protection instincts and/or cut down on fouls — to make sure he can extend his career.
The NBA’s opening day is Tuesday, October 21st.
