Barber to the NBA: What it means for the Pack

For the fourth year in a row, NC State is losing their leading scorer to early entry. This time it’s Cat Barber and this time it’s not all that unexpected.

Barber was a junior who led the Pack in scoring at 23.5 ppg and was one of the nation’s most feared offensive players. While some wondered if he might stay for his senior campaign, most realistically understood that this was easily Cat’s best case scenario. On an NC State team that really didn’t have many scoring options, Barber was able to lead, handle the ball and be the top scorer. He will likely go late in the first round, or slip into the second.

So, what does this mean for the Wolfpack? Well, they again lose their leading scorer, but they do have some serious talent that spent this season on the bench. After Warren left, you had Lacey, and when he left they could lean on Barber. Who will they turn to next season?

Well, I think you will see a big shift for the Wolfpack. Instead of a team dominated by one scorer, they will be a team that really will be able to attack from multiple positions.

With incoming freshman Dennis Smith Jr at the point, you’ll have a whole different feel for the offense. This kid is a bonafide point guard. While he can score, he’s not really a shoot first type of guard. Smith is a creator. He’s someone who wants his teammates involved and is a vocal leader on the floor. His presence and style alone will go a long ways to making NC State a contender in the ACC. Alongside Smith you will have Torin Dorn. The Charlotte transfer will give the Pack a real versatile piece. He’s a slasher who is very strong and very talented north to south. He invites contact and plays with tenacity that was lacking this past year.

You also have Terry Henderson. We recently got to see Henderson in action over the past week and were impressed. He’s moving well, playing near 100% and really shooting it with confidence. He’ll give Gottfried another good, but not elite scoring option.

This trio should be able to step in make up for the loss of Cat Barber. While Cat was a great player, an elite scorer and really did it all for this year’s team, he also wasn’t surrounded by the right talent. Frankly, this year’s team was tough to watch. Not because they weren’t talented, but because they never gelled. I think that will be different next year. When you have a scoring point guard, you lose a lot of the team element. Cat was by no means a selfish player, but when your leading scorer dominates touches and also is looked to as the lead distributor, you have what plays out as a conflict of interest. It usually doesn’t, and in this case didn’t, create animosity, but it isn’t the most fertile grounds to grow team chemistry.

Gottfried is going to be forced to rely on a new group of players and if they are going to be successful they are going to have to rely on each other.