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With Bates likely out, NC State needs to adjust their defensive strategy on the fly

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2 years ago

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We’ve all heard NC State head coach Kevin Keatts talk about it. We’ve heard his players echo it. We’ve heard announcers mention it.

Deflections. Defelections. Defelctions.

Defensive deflections have been a stat that Keatts and his staff prioritize. It’s been this way since he got to NC State, and there have been times we’ve seen it bear fruit, however, without a true rim protector like Bates manning the middle, it’s time for things to change.

NC State is at a crossroads and we’re only one game into the season. Manny Bates exited the game this week with a shoulder injury, just 1 minute into the contest. This was the one thing the Pack couldn’t afford to happen. But here we are.

Counting deflections and rewarding your team for getting their hands on passes forces them to play pressure defense. That’s the idea at least. However, if you’ve watched NC State, you realize that despite having quick, tall, long guards, they are constantly letting their guys into the lane off the dribble.

How is that possible?

What you’re seeing is defenders who are capable of keeping their man in front of them are often overplaying, and pushing up on the ball handler. They are attempting to do this by cheating up and attempting to get their hands on the pass they are about to make. This is putting them out of position, just for a second. However, if that pass isn’t made, the ball handler now a window to get on their defender’s shoulder and get to the lane.

This was good and fine since Manny Bates, the league’s best shot blocker, was waiting for them in the paint. But with Bates out, you are now funneling them into Ebe Dowuona, who is a fine defender and decent shot blocker, but by no means is he Manny Bates.

Even with Bates in, it’s a risky strategy. It puts your center in a position where they have to leave their man to stop the drive. With Bates, you had the ball handler having to make a decision. Attack Bates, or dish it off in traffic. That’s a situation Keatts was ok with. It would lead to blocked shots or turnovers a lot of the time. Without Bates, that changes. Now the ball handler isn’t as worried about attacking the rim, and Dowuona isn’t ready yet to constantly be making split-second decisions on the drive.

So, it’s time for a change.

NC State has the size and the speed to have their on-ball defenders sag off just a bit and focus more on cutting off the drive. They are long enough to challenge any shot over the top and the off-ball defenders can still play up in the passing lanes and go for deflections. This may take away from some of the absolute chaos Keatts is trying to produce on defense, but it also will put less pressure on the bigs, who won’t have to step up and make decisions quite as often. Plus, with a limited amount of depth at center, you’ll help your bigs stay out of foul trouble.

Virginia’s pack-line defense does this very well, and while that hasn’t been Keatts style over the years, it’s now time for him to adjust and play to his personnel. We’re not saying that State has to play back and pack the lane, but we are saying that on the ball defenders need to stop gambling for the deflection all the time. It’s time to get the guards to learn to get down in a stance, move their feet, and focus on cutting off driving lanes.

If State can keep opposing guards out of the middle, they’ll be able to limit the pressure on their young bigs and eliminate all of the open kick-out threes that we’ve seen over the past couple of years. With off-ball defenders not forced to hedge to the middle to squeeze off drives, they’ll be able to stay home and challenge the kick-out shots, making it harder for opponents to get open looks.

It will be interesting to see how Keatts plays this. He has a lot of pride in his defensive strategy and he’s been building a team of guys who can execute it well. However, things change and if you want to be successful in the ACC, you have to be flexible and adjust. With Bates likely out for an extended period (if not the season), now is the time for that adjustment.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

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8 hours ago

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April 24, 2024

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NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.

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Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.

Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.

Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.

The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross.  Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.

With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

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1 day ago

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April 23, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!

 

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This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining. With James’ commitment, NC State currently has 1 scholarship available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill is on a Visit to NC State

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2 days ago

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April 22, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) confirmed with me that he is currently on a visit at NC State.

Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons this season. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.

For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.

247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #78 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

According to a source, the NC State Coaching Staff is extremely high on Hill, and they are recruiting him as a Point Guard.

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NC State Basketball

What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.?

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3 days ago

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April 22, 2024

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What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.? The man who won the ACC Rookie of the Year Award in 2017 gave me a statement.

It means a lot. It means a lot to the university, the state of North Carolina and a lot more to my dad, grandma, and myself. They have been NC State fans since forever, so their excitement level was though the roof when they saw BOTH of our basketball teams shining like that. It was a great feeling!

2017 was Smith Jr.’s only year of College ball, averaging 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He earned 2nd Team All-ACC honors, and obviously, he earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.

DSJ was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 9th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Smith Jr. just wrapped up his 7th season in the NBA. This was his 1st season with Brooklyn, playing in 56 games for the Nets. He averaged 6.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, averaging 18.9 minutes per contest.

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