Offseason Basketball Preview: The Wings

In our last installment of our ‘Offseason Basketball Preview’ we examined the Wolfpack’s guard situation, which really seems to be shaping up nicely.

Today we’ll take a closer look at the wings. In case you were wondering, we’re saying ‘wings’ because this year’s NC State team is pretty interchangeable. I don’t think they fit neatly in the 1 through 5 mold. Instead I think you have guards, wings and bigs. Your only real true position guys are Barber (who is obviously a 1), Lee (who only really fits in at the 2), and Anya (who isn’t really versatile enough to play anywhere but the 5), everyone else is kind of going to float for this team. Let us explain…

Historically, your 3 man is a slasher. Someone who is 6’6 or 6’7 and can attack off the dribble, post a little bit, shoot a little bit and stretch the defense. They are guys that are decent rebounders and have the versatility to defend both big 2’s and small 4’s. I think State has a lot of these type of guys, however, I think you’ll see them floating between the 2, 3 and even sometimes the 4 when State needs to go small.

The most obvious wing on State’s roster is Ralston Turner. With Lacey and Barber both likely to start, Turner moves down to the 3 in place of TJ Warren. Turner is really more suited for this position than the SG position he played most of last year. Reason being, he’s really not that great at putting pressure on the D by attacking from the perimeter. With Warren gone, State will need both Barber and Lacey to put pressure on the defense by penetrating. That should open up some good looks for Turner, who thrives when he’s getting clean looks from 3.

Gottfried has a lot of options here, especially when you start realizing that you can go with a 3 guard lineup that has Dez Lee at the 2 and Lacey at the 3. However, I really don’t think you’ll see this very often unless Lee really starts to demand minutes with his play. Dez is one guy that is really going to have to prove his worth this season if he wants significant playing time. I do think he has the skills and really could blossom this season, but he’s going to have to put his head down and earn his minutes every day in practice.

With that being said, Lacey is one of the most versatile guys on this roster. He’s going to be able top play point when Barber needs a breather, but he’ll also be able to slot in at the wing if need be. At 6’3 he’s a little undersized but he’s got a strong frame and could be the big guard in a 3 guard lineup. (Again, I think this will be a rare occurrence).

The more obvious choice, aside from Turner, will be the Martin twins. A few years ago it seemed as if Caleb Martin would come into college as a big 2 and twin brother Cody would end up as a true 3 (or undersized 4). Last year Caleb played well at Oak Hill but kind of confirmed that he’s more suited for the 3. He was much more effective when he didn’t have to get to the basket off the dribble, which makes sense for a guy that’s 6’7 and not uber-quick.

At the same time, I do think that Caleb could slot in at the 2 if State were in a pinch, but with Lee, Turner and Lacey all better options, I doubt that will happen much. More likely you will see Caleb spell Turner at the 3 from the get-go and let his play dictate his PT from there on. Right now he has a lot of catching up to do as he’s recovering from a foot surgery he had done over a week ago. Don’t worry though, as Gottfried is expecting him back before practice starts for the season.

At the 3 Caleb is a very good shooter, a pretty decent creator off the dribble and someone who i just an all around solid player. He’s versatile, a good defender and will mature into a true scoring threat. This year he’ll get his minutes, but I think you’ll see that it’ll take some time for him to adjust to the physicality of this league. He’s big, but he’s going to get frustrated with the handsy, physical defense the ACC refs allow.

So with 2 real viable options at the 3 (and Lacey possible being pushed down if Dez Lee demands minutes), where does that leave Cody Martin? Well, that’s a good question. Cody was always seen as the question mark between the two brothers, but it was never because of his skill. He’s always been a very good talent, but had focused more on playing in the paint and becoming a great defender/rebounder. With Cody being a thin 6’6 in high school nobody really knowing if he had the versatility to play the 3 at the next level, he was being looked at as a small 4 and really just a true ‘tweener.

But a lot changed last year. Cody started emerging more on the perimeter. He became more versatile and started to sure up his handle and his shot. I still think he’s much less polished than Caleb in those areas, but he’s making improvements. I still think Caleb will be a key piece to this team. He’s a lot tougher and more willing to mix it up in the middle than his brother. He’s a guy that more suited for those sloppy grinders State always finds themselves in against teams like Virginia or that heartbreaker against St. Louis in the NCAA Tournament.

I think Cody will certainly find his niche. He’s too good not too. In fact the Martin twins have always been two of my favorite pick-ups that State has made in recent years. These are two very talented kids that work hard and are extremely coachable. These are guys that are willing to work through adversity. They won’t run or start talking transfer if they don’t see minutes early on. I’m very excited to have these guys on this team.

So there is your ‘wing’ breakdown. I think State is very deep here and Gottfried has so many options with this group. The real challenge is going to be figuring how and when to use all of these talented pieces.

Next week we’ll get talk about what we think is going to be State’s biggest area of improvement from last season…the bigs. We’ll talk about the body transformation of Beejay Anya, the improvements of Kyle Washington and the impending arrival of a guy who could change the whole identity of this team– Abdul-Malik Abu.