Is Losing Henri Veesaar A Big Deal For UNC Basketball? Maybe. Maybe Not.
Given the nature of the rivalry Duke fans naturally keep an eye on the other end of 15-501, and of course, that’s true for UNC as well. There was a big development in Chapel Hill Saturday, as center Henri Veesaar decided to remain in the NBA Draft rather than return to Chapel Hill. Is it a blow?
Well, obviously. He was productive in his one year in Chapel Hill. Is it fatal?
Not necessarily. First, Veesaar was far more effective when defenses had to contend with Caleb Wilson. If you had to pick one of them to guard, you’d have to be an idiot to take Veesaar over Wilson, and that got Veesaar a lot of opportunities he wouldn’t have after Wilson was injured.
He had his moments, to be sure, but irreplaceable? Probably not. We’re not sure, but our guess is that Malone is sifting through other European prospects, and there are probably a few big guys who could at least approximate what Veesaar gave the Tar Heels.
However, they might have already solved that problem. Jarid Stevenson is a useful big man. He filled in fairly well for Wilson when the freshman phenom went down.