Former UNC basketball forward sees draft stock climb

The North Carolina Tar Heels needed a rebound season in the worst way last year and had to go to the transfer portal to accomplish that.

North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis aced the transfer portal last offseason, nabbing a pair of starters in Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram for his roster. The latter, who started at power forward, enjoyed his best collegiate season by shooting a career-high 43 percent from deep and consistently recording double-doubles.

There’s a VERY slim chance Ingram comes back, but he’s currently at the NBA Draft Combine, showcasing his skills and awaiting evaluation on whether he should turn pro or come back to UNC.

Ingram has a strong chance to be selected if he stays in the NBA Draft, as ESPN’s latest mock draft has him going 34th overall to the Portland Trail Blazers.

If Ingram chooses not to return to Chapel Hill and the Blazers end up selecting him, he would join a young roster headlined by Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, and DeAndre Ayton. I foresee Ingram being a reserve small or power forward in this situation, behind Grant or Shaedon Sharpe.

In this scenario, I also imagine Jae’Lyn Withers starts at power forward in the fall.

If Ingram withdraws his name from the NBA Draft and returns to Chapel Hill, he’d reclaim his spot at the starting four and form a formidable, 1-2 punch with RJ Davis. Ingram’s return would almost certainly make the Tar Heels a national title favorite.

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Story originally appeared on Tarheels Wire