As the NBA Draft Combine tips off this week, all eyes in Chapel Hill are on one name: Matt Able. The rising sophomore, who turned heads during a promising freshman season at NC State, recently committed to UNC—but his NBA aspirations might be accelerating faster than expected.

Here's the situation: When Juke Harris met with UNC head coach Michael Malone and staff at a Salisbury restaurant a month ago, he seemed set on testing the NBA waters at the combine. UNC pivoted, shifting its focus to Able—a move that looked smart at the time. Now, with the combine underway, the Tar Heels might be sweating it out.

The good news? Able is clearly an NBA-caliber talent. The concern? That NBA call might come sooner than planned. ESPN's latest mock draft slots him at pick 39 to the Houston Rockets—the upper third of the second round, which last year came with guaranteed two-year contracts similar to first-round picks. Adding fuel to the fire, Able accepted an invitation to work out at the combine this week.

For context, Juke Harris doesn't appear in that same mock draft. He opted to skip the combine entirely and signed with Tennessee for a reported $5 million. So UNC passed on Juke to wait on the combine, only to land a player who's now testing those very waters—with at least one major outlet projecting him in guaranteed-money territory.

But here's where it gets interesting: other major mocks don't mention Able at all. It's unclear whether they don't see him as a draft pick or expect him to return to UNC—both would be welcome news for Tar Heel fans. Rookie Scale, which averages results from reputable mocks, lists Able at pick 56. The Athletic excludes him entirely, possibly focusing on players unlikely to return to college. ESPN's projection remains a significant outlier for now.

Most likely, Able uses the combine as valuable experience and suits up for UNC next season. But a couple of standout workouts or scrimmage performances could muddy the waters considerably. As a lifelong Tar Heel fan, I rarely miss an opportunity to worry—so for me, the answer is yes: we should be paying close attention.