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NBA Training Camp began a couple of days ago, and 3 former NC State basketball players started camp on an NBA roster.  Here is snap shot of where each player stands in Training Camp.

T.J. Warren

Last season T.J. Warren finished his rookie season strong.  After the All-Star break he saw his minutes and points both more than double.  He earned All-NBA Summer League 1st Team honors, averaging 19 points a game in July.  He is looking to carry that momentum into this season, and through a couple of days of Training Camp, it looks like it hasn’t worn off yet.  According to his head coach, he is the most improved player on the team.

One of the reasons Hornacek might feel that way is due to how dominant he’s been in intrasquad pickup games.

Speaking of rave-worthy, T.J. Warren has apparently been killing it in the intrasquad pickup games over the last month. The team actually kept a tally of how many wins each player had in those games. The second-year forward won that contest, telling me later that it was “23 or something.” When Bledsoe was asked about the team’s offensive outlook, he replied, “We’ve got a lot of confident guys – and we’ve got Tony Buckets.” (NBA)

2014-15 Stats

40 games played/1 game started/15.4 minutes per game/6.1 points per game/2.1 rebounds per game/52.8% field goal percentage

Contract Details

Warren is entering the final year of his 2-year $3.99 million dollar contract.  He will earn $2.04 million this year, and the team does have an option on Warren for the following two seasons.

Lorenzo Brown 

Lorenzo Brown enters the Timberwolves Training Camp with a partially guaranteed contract.  The details of Zo’s contract are murky, but it did guarantee him a spot at Training Camp.  Brown played really well in the Summer League in July, averaging 14.2 points per game.  After the T-Wolves waived Anthony Bennett last week, Brown’s odds of finding a spot on the roster got a little bit better.  For whatever reason, Brown didn’t take place in player interviews at the Timberwolves Media Day today.  Brown is in a crowded situation, having to prove he belongs on a roster that has Ricky Rubio, Tyus Jones and Andre Miller.

Brown is entering his third NBA season.  For more details of Brown’s first two seasons, click here.

2014-15 Stats

55 games played/7 games started/3.4 points/2.4 assists/1.8 rebounds

Contract Details

If the Timberwolves decide to keep him on the roster, Brown is due $947,276 in 2015-16.

J.J. Hickson

J.J. Hickson is entering his third season with the Denver Nuggets, and his 8th season overall in the NBA.  Last year Hickson played in 73 games for the Nuggets primarily in a reserve roll.  Even though Hickson has started in over half of the games he has played in over his career, it looks like he has settled into a reserve roll in Denver.

2014-15 Stats

73 games played/8 games started/19.3 minutes/7.6 points/6.1 rebounds

Contract Details

Hickson is entering the final year of a 3-year $16.1 million dollar contract that he signed back in 2013.  He is set to earn $5.6 million this season.

Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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Pack in the Pros

Former NC State All-American SS Trea Turner Named NL Player of the Week

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Former NC State All-American Shortstop Trea Turner was named the National League Player of the Week last week.

  • The 30-year-old hit .462 (12-for-26) with a home run, four RBI, five doubles, a walk, 10 runs scored, a stolen base and a .481 on-base percentage in six games last week.
  • The Florida native led the Majors in runs scored; tied for the NL lead in doubles and extra-base hits (6); ranked third in slugging (.769), OPS (1.250) and hits (12); and ranked fourth in total bases (20).
  • The two-time All-Star recorded four straight multi-hit games from Tuesday through Saturday, putting together three-hit games on Wednesday against Colorado and Thursday against Chicago (AL). It was the third time in his Phillies’ tenure and eighth time in his career that he had at least four-straight multi-hit games.
  • The 2019 World Series Champion has hits in 10 straight games since April 11th, batting .429 (18-for-42) with two homers, six RBI, six doubles, two walks, 12 runs scored, a stolen base and a 1.169 OPS during the stretch. He has reached in each of his last 13 games since April 8th, batting .434/.483/.660 over the stretch.
  • The North Carolina State product stole home on Sunday against the White Sox, marking his 40th consecutive stolen base since September 6, 2022 when he was a member of the Dodgers. His current streak surpassed Jimmy Rollins for the fourth-longest all-time and is now tied with Hall of Famer Tim Raines for the third-longest streak in Major League history. Next on the list is Ichiro Suzuki, who swiped 45 straight bases from April 29, 2006 through May 16, 2007, and Vince Coleman, who stole a Major League record 50 straight bases from September 18, 1988 through July 26, 1989. (MLB)

Turner was a 2-time All-American at NC State. In 2012, Turner was named 3rd Team All-American by NCBWA, and in 2013 he was named 2nd Team by Collegiate Baseball, and 3rd Team by NCBWA and Baseball America.

Turner’s 113 career stolen bases at NC State are the most in school history.

Turner was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 1st Round with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft.

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NC State’s Payton Wilson & Dylan McMahon’s 2024 Draft Projections

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The 2024 NFL Draft is 1 day away. Where does NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson and Center Dylan McMahon project to be drafted?

PFF

Payton Wilson – 1st Round – 29th Overall Pick – Indianapolis Colts

It’s a cliché to go “best athlete available” for the Colts, but Payton Wilson certainly ticked that box at the NFL scouting combine. Wilson was exceptional in his final season at NC State, earning grades above 75.0 in all three facets of defense, led by his 90.0 coverage grade with three interceptions and four forced incompletions.

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 214th Overall Pick – Cincinnati Bengals

Sporting News

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 38th Overall Pick – Tennessee Titans

Dylan McMahon – 5th Round – 175th Overall Pick – New Orleans Saints

Walter Football

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 42nd Overall Pick – Houston Texans

CBS Sports

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 43rd Overall Pick – Atlanta Falcons

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 182nd Overall Pick – Tennessee Titans

The Athletic 

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 56th Overall Pick – Dallas Cowboys

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 232nd Overall Pick – Minnesota Vikings

Fantasy Pros

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 66th Overall Pick – Arizona Cardinals

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 55th Overall Pick – Green Bay Packers

NFL.com

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 80th Overall Pick – Cincinnati Bengals

Dylan McMahon – 4th Round – 112th Overall Pick – Carolina Panthers

ESPN

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 81st Overall Pick – Seattle Seahawks

Wilson has an early-round grade based strictly on his game tape, but durability concerns could drop him to this range — or even later. He had 130 tackles, six sacks and three interceptions last season.

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 247th Overall Pick – Houston Texans

Pro Football Network

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 83rd Overall Pick – Los Angeles Rams

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 205th Overall Pick – Detroit Lions

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Former NC State G Terquavion Smith Earns a Spot on the 2023-23 NBA G-League All-Rookie Team

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Former NC State Guard Terquavion Smith earned a spot on the 2023-24 NBA G-League All-Rookie Team.

Smith averaged 22.3 points, 3.4 assists and 3 rebounds per game for the Delaware Blue Coats. What’s crazy, is that he only started in 3 of the 36 games he played in. With that being said, he averaged 30.7 minutes per game. Smith shot 35.6% from three.

As a 2-way player, Smith also played 16 games for the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 3.3 points in 5.3 minutes per game. He shot 37.1% from three.

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NC State LB Payton Wilson Visited with the Steelers Yesterday

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Former NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson had a Top-30 visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday. Wilson is the first Linebacker the Steelers have brought in.

Wilson has already had Top-30 visits with the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers.

PFF ranks Wilson as the #1 Linebacker in the 2024 Draft, and #26 on their Big Board.

1. LB PAYTON WILSONNC STATE

PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 26

Wilson has the length, movement ability, IQ and tape of a first-round linebacker. What will likely keep him from being drafted on Day 1 is his injury history and age. If healthy, he can be a starting inside linebacker in any defense. (PFF)

Will someone take Wilson in the 1st round? Will he be a 2nd round pick? If he slips past that, that’s just stupid.

 

 

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