Hawks' Henri Veesaar immediately looks like NBA player after leaving UNC

1 hour ago 6

Hawks' Henri Veesaar immediately looks like NBA player after leaving UNC image

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) bites his jersey against the VCU Rams in the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

As far as No. 52 overall picks go, there were a lot of eyes on Henri Veesaar in his NBA Summer League debut on Thursday.

Playing for the Atlanta Hawks, Veesaar already looked like he belongs.

In 19 minutes, Veesaar scored 14 points.

He was 5-for-8 from the floor, including 2-for-5 from 3-point range, and went 1-of-2 at the foul line.

Veesaar added six rebounds, an assist, a steal, a block and a turnover.

MORE: Bronny James' best future doesn't involve a trade from Lakers

In his 19 minutes against the Spurs in Las Vegas on Thursday, Veesaar was a plus-17.

He certainly looked like a guy who should've gone much earlier.

That's easy to say in retrospect, of course, but it was also a take at the time. Veesaar was a better prospect than his draft spot, but he had also turned down a lot of money from UNC to stay in the draft in the first place.

MORE: C avaliers would form GOAT ending for LeBron James

Many wondered if he simply should've found a loophole to go back as his draft slide continued.

The Hawks eventually traded into that 52nd spot to make sure they were the team that got Veesaar.

He'll still have some limitations to work out at the NBA level, and the fact that the Hawks drafted a different big, Zuby Ejiofor, before him makes it even a bit tougher.

But if Veesaar keeps filling it up like this, he'll play. Guys that get buckets always do.