Pinson's college career was marked by injury early, as he broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot and missed 14 games of his freshman season. His sophomore season was injury free, although he broke the same bone in his right foot, which would cause him to miss the first 16 games of his junior season. While on the court, Pinson's passing, defense and leadership played a key role in the Tar Heels' run to consecutive Final Fours. Pinson was also acknowledged as a positive factor in the locker room for these teams, as he developed a reputation as a prankster in both the locker room and with the media. During the Tar Heels' 2017 championship run, Pinson's playmaking helped the team defeat Kentucky in the South Regional Final, as his full-court drive and pass set up a game-winning shot by forward Luke Maye. As a senior, he averaged 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 29.7 minutes per game.
After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Pinson joined the Brooklyn Nets for the 2018 NBA Summer League. He posted 11.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in five summer league games. On August 6, 2018, Pinson signed a training camp contract with the Nets, which was confirmed to be a two-way contract for the 2018–19 season. Under the terms of the deal, he will split time between the Nets and their NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Pinson made his NBA debut on October 20, 2018, in a 132–112 loss to the Indiana Pacers, scoring two points with a rebound and two assists in six and half minutes of play. On April 10, 2019 the Nets converted Pinson's two-way deal to a full NBA contract. On April 15, Pinson made his postseason debut scoring 9 points shooting 3 for 5 from the field and 3 for 4 from 3. On July 8, 2019, the Nets re-signed Pinson to a reported two-year contract, after the Nets rescinded their qualifying offer to Pinson on July 6.
2019–20 season
In December 2019, Pinson began to see more minutes for the Nets due to an Achilles injury to David Nwaba. On February 4, 2020, Pinson scored 32 points to go with nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in the G League as the Long Island Nets defeated the Wisconsin Herd 117-110. On June 23, Pinson was waived by the Nets.
New York Knicks (2020–present)
Three days later after leaving the Brooklyn Nets, on June 26, 2020, Pinson was claimed off waiver by the New York Knicks.
