How Does Arizona Transfer Henri Veesaar Change UNC?

Henri Veesar, the Arizona transfer who is joining UNC following a much improved sophomore season where he scored 9.4 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. The seven-footer is filling in a desperate need of head coach Hubert Davis, where at times last year tried a variety of starting centers to see what works and what did not.

Veesaar is bringing in a unique skill set. As a taller center, he will serve as a protection around the rim against anyone driving toward the rime and — even the slightest alteration will be beneficial for Coach Davis. This is far different than what the Tar Heels had during the 2024-2025 campaign.

247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote a report on Veesaar as a transfer a couple months back on April 1:

"Veesaar is a skilled 7-footer from Estonia who spent three years at Arizona, but missed the entire 2023-24 season with an elbow injury. After adding 35 pounds of muscle to his frame, he was able to step in and produce extremely productive minutes when Motiejus Krivas went down this season. He finished second in the Big 12 in both two-point field goal percentage (70%) and offensive rating (133.7).

He was also hugely impactful as an offensive rebounder and rim protector. The increased physicality in his game allowed him to put much more pressure on the rim as both a roller and rim-runner, sometimes even as a lob threat. He has soft hands, can quickly finish with both, and has polished footwork to match. In addition to being a heady screener, he’s a good passer and can play out of high-low action or dribble hand-offs.

Veesaar has a developing face-up touch and knocked down 33% of his threes this year, averaging over an attempt per game. Defensively, he may not be super bouncy, but he’s become a much more emphatic shot-blocker who now aggressively challenges shots at the rim, but could still do a better job as a defensive rebounder."

A center who is not afraid to shoot from deep will create plenty of space for guys like Seth Trimble and Caleb Wilson to attack their defender off the dribble, driving toward the rim for a finish. A shooting big man changes the whole dynamic for a team.

Just look at UNC's first season under Coach Davis with Brady Manek. Despite not being a tall frontcourt piece, his shooting ability was able to take away a body from paint, releasing any pressure that may have altered the result of a layup. Manek was a huge piece during Carolina's 2022 March Madness run all the way to the national championship.

Perhaps, with the offseason in full effect, Veesaar can have that same kind of influence, too. This is how he will change the Tar Heels this fall.

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