We’re going to start with a disclaimer. This article is not the realistic expectations of the Wolfpack this year. This is just a look what the absolute best case and worst case scenario for the much-hyped 2016 basketball team. The point of this article is to highlight the questions this team faces and how the answers to those could mean a wide-variety of outcomes.

Part 1: BEST CASE SCENARIO

Dennis Smith is exactly who we thought he was:
 Smith plays like a NBA lottery pick. He is able to dictate the pace of games, run the offense, cause havoc on defense, and when needed, he is able to simply take over a game. With Dennis, the Pack is in any ball game, no matter what.

The succesful return of Terry Henderson:
With his length and athleticism, him and Dennis give us one of the top defensive backcourts in the country. We are able to keep in-check any guard combination thrown at us. Henderson also can knock down contested shots with consistency.

With Dennis at point, Terry does not need to do much shot creating himself, so he is able to move around the court looking to spot up for an open three or a good pump fake and drive to the basket where he can use his athleticism to finish above the rim or draw fouls. Henderson basically becomes a more athletic version of Ralston Turner, who is more versatile at creating his own shot and defending multiple positions.

Torin Dorn and Maverick Rowan combine to become a near unstoppable duo
One can slash and one can flat-out shoot, but both play a valuable role in the success of this team.

Rowan, with his added 2 inches and extra year of conditioning. is no longer the huge liability he was last year on the defensive end. With him and Henderson playing together, the court is completely spread due to their shooting ability, leaving lanes for Smith to drive or for the Pack to finally be able to dump the ball down low instead of settling for contested jumpers.

Rowan also comes out this year and a more consistent shooter because his shot selection has become much better. This makes him a very real scoring threat every time he touches the ball. He is a double figure scorer by season’s end.

Then you have Torin Dorn, who don’t forget, was Conference Freshman of the year 2 years ago in Conference USA

Dorn will be more of a 2 guard or run the 3 with a smaller lineup. He is a tenacious athlete who will also bolster the Pack on the defensive end. He is your prototypical high-energy 6th man who can come in when things start to stagnate.

Dorn will be able to get the basket at will and if not taken seriously can quickly put up points and force the defense to break down as he continues to get into the lane. Dorn is an absolute competitor and at times he becomes the catalyst for this team.

Abu finally has his breakout year
With the pieces around him, he can finally get the ball in the post with one on one opportunities. With less attention and a stronger mid range shot, Abu becomes an absolute force in the paint. We get to see more than our fair share of put back dunks from Abu, who is a consistent double-double beast in the paint and one of the most athletic front court players in the ACC.

Yurtseven is eligible and lives up to the hype of a first rounder
Although more of finesse player paint and not quite as strong of a rebounder as you would hope with a 7 footer, his footwork and advanced basketball IQ makes him one of the best centers in the country. On offense, Yursteven will be next to impossible to stop with his soft touch around the rim and Smith’s ability to get him the ball in positions to score.

Given he has Abu at the 4 and 3 guys around the perimeter who can shoot, it will be difficult for teams to double him, which makes him a nightmare to gaurd at 7 ft. Bigger guys will not be able to step out and guard the jumper, while smaller bigs will get abused by his effectively soft jump hook.

Anya and Kapita give NC State the best front court depth in the ACC
While both are not your classic scorers with their back to the basket, Anya and Kapita exert their physicality and become vital pieces for the Pack, who now can guard nearly any front court someone throws at them.

Anya is still Anya, never going to wow anyone with his quickness, but very large and very long. He will finally be a defensive force to be reckoned with as he is more disciplined on deciding when to commit to the block and when to just juse his length to alter shots. He still  will also be a good big body around the rim that can score when he gets good position and accumulate his share of put backs.

With Kapita, you get a big, strong and energetic big man who won’t be the strongest scorer but will definitely be a force on the defensive end and rebounding the ball.

Markel Johnson comes in ACC ready and is the perfect back up to Smith
Markel will go through some turbulence as a freshman, but as the year progresses he becomes a strong backup to Dennis. The offense, though not as dangerous, does not fall too far when Markel enters the game and he is just as much as a ball hawk on defense as Smith.

NC State exceeds expectations and UNC shuts up about Gottfried being a underachiever.
With the talents and leadership of Smith, along side a group of veteran players, the team is able to mesh quickly and play true team basketball. Offense is a constant chore to defend with all the mismatches and the defense is extremely strong in the back court and deep both in the front and back court. The combination of talent and depth is able to take this team to the top and with strong guard play, solid shooting, and a deep bench, all the pieces are there for a national championship run.

So there you have it folks. That is the dream season.

Will it happen? If you’ve been a State fan, your answer is obviously “Of course it will! ..Just kidding, I don’t want to jinx anything.”

Whichever way you choose to view it, this team does have a ton of talent and there is reason for optimisim if they can mesh as a team. However, 6 of the 9 players we mentioned in this piece were not playing college basketball last season for a number of different reasons. This very fact is why the expectations for this team are all over the board and why a ‘best case vs. worst case scenario” article even exists.

Stay tuned as we look at the opposite side of those question marks in Part 2: The Worst Case scenario