With their college basketball careers now over, seniors Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson will look to catch the eye of pro scouts before the NBA Draft.
UNC first-years, sophomores or juniors, like Justin Jackson and Kennedy Meeks, have until April 24 to enter their names into the draft. As of now, Johnson and Paige are the only Tar Heels who are expected to move on to an NBA career.
Both players will likely participate in the NBA Draft Combine starting on May 11 in Chicago before the draft is held on June 23 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Here are where the experts think Paige and Johnson will land. While both players found success at the college level, their draft projections vary greatly.
Outside looking in
After finishing his UNC career as the program’s all-time leader in made 3-pointers (299) and 11th on the all-time scoring list (1,844), Marcus Paige is currently not projected to be picked in the NBA draft by most media outlets.
According to DraftExpress.com’s prospect rankings from Wednesday, Paige is the No. 80 overall player in the draft. He is also ranked as the No. 16 senior.
While Paige might have been selected higher if he would have left UNC early, he hasn’t regretted his decision to stay.
“A lot of times, the money playing at the next level is hard to turn down,” Paige said on March 16. “But I don’t think anything beats these four years.”
