Busting Brackets
Fansided

North Carolina Basketball: Who is the Tar Heels’ best NBA Draft prospect?

By Daniel Benjamin

Apr 1, 2017; Glendale, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Justin Jackson (44) reacts after making a basket against the Oregon Ducks in the second half in the semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2017; Glendale, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Justin Jackson (44) reacts after making a basket against the Oregon Ducks in the second half in the semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
Mar 10, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Jayson Tatum (0) dunks over North Carolina Tar Heels forwards Kennedy Meeks (3) and Theo Pinson (1) during the second half of an ACC Conference Tournament game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Jayson Tatum (0) dunks over North Carolina Tar Heels forwards Kennedy Meeks (3) and Theo Pinson (1) during the second half of an ACC Conference Tournament game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Kennedy Meeks

I really love Kennedy Meeks’ game. He is so strong, a monster on the boards, and a real defensive presence. The 6’10”, 277-pound center is very skilled offensively with wonderful footwork. He also has great hands and is a good passer.

Saying all that, I can foresee him going undrafted, though there is a slim possibility that he gets taken in the second round. Meeks is ranked 67th overall by Ford and is not ranked in the top 100 by Draft Express.

I am surprised that Hicks is rated higher than Meeks despite the fact that Meeks has severely outproduced him throughout their careers. Granted Meeks is not an elite athlete, but neither is Mo Speights. The only other real negative is his conditioning, though a good NBA strength and conditioning coach can work with that.

Meeks bounced back nicely from a sub-par junior campaign this past season. The 2016-17 NCAA All-Tournament selection produced 13 double-doubles and had 27 double figure scoring efforts overall this past season. He posted career-highs in points (12.5), rebounds (9.5), and steals (1.0). He also tied his career-high with an average of 1.2 blocks a contest.

For his career, Meeks compiled 10.3 points and 7.3 rebounds along with a 25.5 PER. He also made 54.0% of his field goal attempts as well as 63.0% of his free throws.

Home/NBA Draft News