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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
The reality is going to hover over at least the early stages of Henri Veesaar's NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks.
By most accounts, Veesaar could've returned to the University of North Carolina for another season of college basketball and made himself a lot of money to play for UNC.
Instead, he left for the NBA Draft, and with that came less certainty.
The choice appeared to rear its ugly head when Veesaar slid all the way to the No. 52 pick by the Hawks.
This week is really the first time Veesaar will get a chance to prove that he'll be just fine, which is by no means a guarantee.
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Summer League starts in Las Vegas, and Veesaar is going to have to perform well to put a positive spin on his future.
"Veesaar, a 7-foot center from Estonia, unexpectedly slipped to the 52nd pick, raising questions about whether he should have returned to UNC for another year of seasoning rather than declaring for the draft," ESPN's Ben Golliver wrote in a new article. At the predraft combine in May, Veesaar told CBSSports.com that 'getting thrown into the fire is the best way to learn.' Unfortunately, that might not be the story of his rookie season in Atlanta, where he'll face an uphill battle for minutes in a crowded big-man rotation that also includes 2026 first-round pick Zuby Ejiofor. If Veesaar can hold his own in Las Vegas, he could silence those who believe he should have spent next season as a well-compensated starter in Chapel Hill."
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The story doesn't always have to be about the money, though. Veesaar could've decided the NBA was the best route for his long-term development.
Whatever the reasoning, the truth is that it's now up to Veesaar. If he plays well enough to earn an opportunity in Atlanta, he can start proving the doubters wrong.
But yeah, if he struggles, Veesaar will certainly look like a guy who should've stuck with the Tar Heels for another year.
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