Carolina has secured the return of four starters from a team that made the national championship this past season, but the roster news isn’t stopping there. This morning, reserve guard/forward, Kerwin Walton announced he was going to go through the NBA Draft process while retaining his college eligibility. This news is a bit surprising as Walton’s minutes were all but taken away during the second half of the season, as Hubert Davis utilized a seven-man rotation, to take the Tar Heels to the brink of a national championship.
Walton averaged 3.4 points per game last season while shooting 35% from behind the three-point line. That was a significant drop-off from his freshman season, where he was Carolina’s best perimeter threat and was a big reason for the turnaround in the second half of the 2020-21 campaign.
There are other layers to this decision from Walton, as if he were to leave for the NBA, that would free up a roster spot for the upcoming season, allowing Hubert Davis, to dip back into the transfer portal, to find a more suitable replacement for Brady Manek. You also can’t rule out the possibility that Walton transfers if he doesn’t get the answers he’s looking for from the NBA, as his role could very well be the same if he stays put in Chapel Hill.
Walton has until June 1st to remove his name from NBA Draft consideration.
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