WOLFERETTI: NC State’s postseason success rests on the shoulders of Terquavion Smith

Terquavion Smith just scooped up 2nd team All-ACC honors yesterday, capping off a sophomore campaign that saw him average team-highs in points (tie) 17.3ppg and assists,  4.4 per game.

However, this hasn’t been the dominant season that Smith expected when he opted to forgo the NBA draft and return to Raleigh for another season. This season he’s seen a 3% decrease in both FG% and 3pt %. He’s more than doubled his assist total this year and has stayed pretty even with last year in every other stat.

Down the stretch, he’s struggled with his shot. Smith is shooting just 31% from the field over the final 8 games. During that time he’s also shot just 31% from long range, and NC State has won just 4 of those 8.

Now,  NC State enters the ACC Tournament as a 6 seed and needs just one win to really set in stone an NCAA berth. They will face either Notre Dame or Virginia Tech.

Notre Dame came to Raleigh and almost beat the Pack, but came up just short 85-83. In that game, Terquavion Smith struggled. He shot just 2-14 from the floor and 2-9 from 3pt range.  He did finish with 17 points and 6 assists, so it was a productive outing for the sophomore, but more than anything else, NC State needs Smith scoring at a somewhat efficient clip.

Against Virginia Tech (who was without Hunter Cattoor), State won by just 4 in Blacksburg. This was another game where Smith struggled shooting the ball. He did finish with 22 points but was just 6-19 from the floor and 2-9 from 3pt range.

The point is, when Smith is shooting in the low 30s from the field and lower than 30% from 3pt range, the Pack can lose to any decent team, but if Smith is hitting at anywhere near an efficient clip, then NC State looks nearly unstoppable.

If NC State is going to make a run in the postseason, they’re going to need a hot streak from Terquavion Smith.

Should we be expecting one?

To me, it has looked as if Smith has been pressing offensively all season long, and honestly, I get it.

You bypass the NBA and expect to come back and dominate, both on the floor and in the box score. But last season nobody was game-planning for you and this season you’re the focal point of every team’s defensive strategy. Meanwhile, you’re looking to increase your scoring average, your percentages AND incorporate the feedback you received from the scouts. In Smith’s case, it was “We want to see you become a playmaker, make others around you better.”

Smith has incorporated that feedback. Last season he averaged just 2 assists per game and now he’s well over 4. But the pressure to keep the scoring average up has seemed to bother him. He’s settling for too many shots from well beyond the arc, he’s forcing shots that aren’t in the flow of the offense. But if he’s going to keep up his scoring average this is what he’s got to do, right?

It is. And he can now say that he has increased his scoring average and his assist average from his freshman season. His efficiency numbers and his shooting percentages have dipped, but that’s what it took to get those numbers.

And don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a criticism. The kid came back to Raleigh out of loyalty to the program and Kevin Keatts. He deserves to go out there and get those numbers. we should all want him to go as high in this year’s draft as possible. To show future players that coming back to the school does work out, and does earn you more money in the long run.

Smith has been a huge part of this basketball team. Many nights he’s been the best guy on the court, and his presence alone puts pressure on opposing defenses. Without him, Joiner isn’t scoring as much. Without him, Burns isn’t feasting off one on one matchups. Honestly, without him most of the guys on this team aren’t even here.

That said, I’d love to see Smith ease into the postseason a little bit. While all the lights are going to be shining on him, its likely that he’s going to want to come out on fire. Launching and connecting on deep 3s. Sending NC State fans into a frenzy. But that’s not really what scouts want to see and that’s really not what NC State needs.

What NC State needs from Smith is for him to be a calculated killer. Not coming out all hyped up, but instead, laser-focused and locked in on the task at hand. Let the defense overplay him, get his teammates involved, and when the focus on him eases up, bury them in a scoring spree within the flow of the game.

Smith has shown the fans, the coaches, and the scouts just about everything at this point. Everyone is sold on his scoring ability, his passing ability, and his playmaking ability. The one last thing Smith could show in his final few games in Raleigh is patience. Let the game come to him. Don’t worry about averages or totals. Just work on getting good, clean looks and they’ll fall.

Do that, and I’ll bet you Smith unlocks a level we haven’t seen all season long, which will finally unlock the full potential of this NC State team.