CHARLOTTE - Theo Pinson knows that his shot at being drafted could hinge on his ability to make shots.
"Just knocking down shots is the biggest thing for me," said the former Tar Heel after his Saturday morning pre-draft workout with the Charlotte Hornets.
Pinson was one of a handful of former college players on the Hornets practice court, but the most notable. Playing in his Carolina blue Jumpman shoes, and chatting with former Tar Heel-turned -Hornets executive Buzz Peterson.
He also worked out under the watchful eye of General Manager, and UNC great Mitch Kupchak.
Owner Michael Jordan wasn't at the portion of the workout media viewed, but the Carolina connections are there.
But none of that will matter if Pinson isn't consistently getting the ball in the bucket.
"Knocking down shots is the huge thing," he said.
In four years at North Carolina, Pinson's defense, rebounding and passing helped the Tar Heels to a pair of National Championship games, and one title. But his shooting was inconsistent. Pinson shot 38 percent from the field his junior year, up to 47 percent his senior season.
But from three? Pinson was a career 25 percent shooter.
That's the biggest reason Pinson is projected as a late second-round, or undrafted prospect.
"I didn’t shoot particularly well in college," Pinson admitted. "Showing that my shot isn’t broken and I think I’ve been doing that in the past workouts."
But as always Pinson has been doing his work with an ear-to-ear grin.
"It’s fun," he said. "Taking advantage of the opportunity. A lot of kids would want to travel all over the place and have as many workouts as I do so I just do it with a smile on my face."
The NBA Draft is June 21. The Hornets are slated to pick 11th in the first round.