Does Ven-Allen Lubin’s commitment to UNC basketball guarantee him a starting spot?

Thursday was a big day for the UNC basketball program.

After coming so close to landing the likes of coveted transfers Oumar Ballo, Aaron Bradshaw and Cliff Omoruyi – only for them to choose other schools – North Carolina finally grabbed Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin.

The Tar Heels had post players before Lubin’s addition – Jae’Lyn Withers, Jalen Washington, Zayden High and incoming freshman James Brown – but none with extensive college experience.

Lubin started all 26 games for the Commodores last year, averaging 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He recorded five double-doubles, something UNC enjoyed a lot of with Armando Bacot over the last five seasons.

Given that Lubin is 6’8″, I foresee most of his minutes at power forward, with the occasional switch over to small forward or center. This puts North Carolina in a pickle at the 4-spot, as Jae’Lyn Withers was slated to be the starter, after backing up Harrison Ingram last year.

Withers only started three games during the 2023-2024 campaign, averaging 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Lubin is an immediate upgrade, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hubert Davis use Withers and Lubin in a tandem.

Washington’s number are similar to Withers (3.9 points, 2.6 rebounds per game), but he’s a center. High played even less (0.8 points in 4.5 minutes per game), but he’ll likely play as a reserve.

To put it simply, I would be shocked if Lubin isn’t starting from Day One.

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