{"id":639036,"date":"2026-03-04T15:18:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T15:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/639036\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T15:18:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T15:18:15","slug":"henri-veesaar-focused-on-leading-unc-in-march","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/639036\/","title":{"rendered":"Henri Veesaar Focused On Leading UNC in March"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the calendar turns to March, the appointment viewing that defines the madness also brings with it something more sentimental: fans\u2019 final chances to watch their favorite players.<\/p>\n

While the Tar Heel faithful are simply eager for at least one more opportunity to see Caleb Wilson lace them up, there\u2019s a growing realization in Chapel Hill that they may also be running out of chances to watch Henri Veesaar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Arizona transfer has been everything the program could have hoped for and more in his first season at North Carolina and is a possible first round pick in June\u2019s NBA Draft.<\/p>\n

In recent projections, Veesaar is No. 32 in The Athletic\u2019s mock draft and No. 33 on ESPN\u2019s draft board, placing him\u00a0firmly on the first round bubble. That positioning creates a significant decision for the seven-footer once the season ends \u2014 return for a senior season or begin his professional career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll make the decision after the season ends. I haven\u2019t thought about it yet,\u201d Veesaar told Delfi Sport<\/a>, an Estonian media outlet (translated), on Sunday. \u201cI\u2019ll see where I stand at the end of the season and what my performances have been like. Right now I\u2019m 100 percent focused on finishing the season in the best possible way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The financial implications are substantial.<\/p>\n

For example, last year\u2019s No. 34 pick, Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner, signed with the Charlotte Hornets on a four-year deal for $9.97 million, with the first two years guaranteed.<\/p>\n

Depending on where Veesaar ultimately projects will represents a significant swing \u2014 particularly in today\u2019s collegiate landscape, where stars like Veesaar also have the option of seven-figure NIL deals to stay in school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll listen to the feedback I get from NBA teams,\u201d Veesaar told Delfi Sport. \u201cHopefully I\u2019ll stay healthy until the end of the season. Then I\u2019ll see where I might land in the draft. Whether it\u2019s in the first or second round and with which team.\u201d<\/p>\n

A strong finish for Veesaar and the Tar Heels could make the decision easier.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarch Madness could have quite a big impact on my decision,\u201d Veesaar added. \u201cThere are a lot of scouts at every game, and in those matches they see how well players can perform under pressure. If the team goes further, you obviously rise in NBA mock drafts. And if the team loses right away, you might drop a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veesaar\u2019s first season in Chapel Hill has allowed him to fully emerge after playing a reserve role at Arizona. Under Hubert Davis, his minutes have increased by roughly 20 percent from last season, and the production has followed. Veesaar ranks No. 16 nationally in effective field goal percentage and No. 26 in offensive rating, according to KenPom \u2014 using a polished three-level scoring arsenal.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if I start a bit poorly or make a few mistakes, (Davis) lets me play through them, he knows I\u2019ll do better next time,\u201d Veesaar said. \u201cAnd at the end of games I\u2019m trusted with the ball and allowed to make decisions to help the team win.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Veesaar doesn\u2019t like where he projects and elects to return to Chapel Hill, it would dramatically reshape Hubert Davis\u2019 offseason roster construction \u2014 giving North Carolina a foundational frontcourt piece and bringing back one of its three leading scorers.<\/p>\n

That\u2019ll be a decision for the offseason. The NBA Draft Combine is scheduled for May 10-17.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the calendar turns to March, the appointment viewing that defines the madness also brings with it something…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639037,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3724],"tags":[7,5398],"class_list":{"0":"post-639036","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-henri-veesaar-22-estonia"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116171578283891954","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639036\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}