After a five-season stretch for UNC basketball that saw him play a school-record 155 career games for the Tar Heels, it appears Leaky Black might finally break through at the professional level.
The 24-year-old, who went undrafted but signed a two-way contract to stay in North Carolina with the Charlotte Hornets last summer, turned in his best performance of his young career on Sunday afternoon in NBA.
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He finished with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes of play as Black and the Hornets (21-61) managed to eliminate the Cavaliers (48-34) in the teams’ regular season finale , thus achieving a victory on the road 120-110. The defensive specialist also added two steals and a block while finishing a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.
Black set career highs in minutes played and assists, while matching his best marks as an NBA player in points and rebounds. He has seen his playing time increase somewhat over the course of the season, with the 6-foot-6 forward from Concord, North Carolina, playing double-digit minutes in eight of his last nine outings.
In 25 appearances this season, the former Tar Heel averaged 2.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in just over 10 minutes of play per game.
As for the Cavaliers’ only former UNC basketball player and former teammate of Black, Pete Nance played a career-high 12 minutes off the bench on Sunday. The 24-year-old forward, who signed a two-way deal with Cleveland in February, finished with three points and a rebound in the loss.
Nance’s 3-point basket early in the fourth quarter marked the Ohio native’s first NBA basket in his eight appearances this season.
Pete Nance and Leaky Black will look to fit into their teams’ respective rotations next season.
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