The 2017-18 NBA season kicked off on Tuesday night, and there are 14 former North Carolina men's basketball players that are currently on a team’s official roster.
Among the 14 players is Brice Johnson — who is now a forward for the Los Angeles Clippers. He is most remembered in Chapel Hill for his senior season campaign, in which he earned first-team All-America honors and teammate Marcus Paige led the Tar Heels to the 2016 national championship game.
Johnson was the 25th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. For most of his rookie year, though, Johnson was sidelined with a lower back injury. After he came back from his injury, he was sent to the D-League on two separate occasions and saw some action with the Salt Lake City Stars. During Johnson’s six total games with the Stars, he averaged 19 minutes, 12 points, and 6.5 rebounds per game.
In the 2017 Summer League in Las Vegas, Johnson averaged 23.8 minutes, 14.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He also added this dunk over Los Angeles Laker Lonzo Ball this summer, as well.
Johnson’s role with the Clippers is expected to increase this season since he is no longer plagued by injury, but power forward Blake Griffin will most likely remain the team's offensive focal point.
Harrison Barnes, a small forward for the Dallas Mavericks, played two seasons at UNC over the course of 2010 to 2012. Barnes’ jersey also hangs in the Smith Center rafters.
In 2016, Barnes signed a four-year, $94 million max contract with the Mavericks after previously playing his first four NBA seasons with the Golden State Warriors. And in his first season in Dallas, Barnes averaged a career-high of 35.5 minutes, a team high and career best 19.2 points and five rebounds per game.
After Dirk Nowitzki missed 25 of the first 30 games due to an injury last season, Barnes stepped up and became the Mavericks' go-to scorer in Nowitzki’s absence. He led Dallas in scoring 37 times, tallied a total of seven 30-point games and set a new Mavericks franchise record after scoring in double figures in his first 43 games of the season.
Barnes is expected to continue to be a big-time producer for the Mavericks this season and further develop himself as the team’s primary scorer.
