WOLFERETTI: Is one of NC State’s best rebounders sitting on the bench? It might be time to find out.

NC State needs answers and fast.

It’s only January 5th and we’re already staring down some must-win games because of 2 early ACC losses and a failure to win a single significant out-of-conference game.

Kevin Keatts is obviously in experimental mode. He started by trying to play the lineup that he mostly envisioned running out all offseason (minus Mike James who is injured). O’Connell, Hill, Taylor, Styles and Middlebrooks.

He later started interchanging Middlebrooks and Huntley-Hatfield, and while Middlebrooks has been better, it hasn’t really moved the needle enough.

He tried Trey Parker at the 2, a freshman who has a 3-level scorer profile, but has yet to put it together. His defense hasn’t been good enough to stay on the floor.

He then tried playing big with BHH and Middlebrooks together. That lineup has proved to be too slow.

He tried giving more minutes to Dennis Parker Jr and playing him alongside Styles, but those two guys’ skill sets are too similar.

He has peppered in Breon Pass, who is shooting 55% from 3pt range with some success, and he has tried on and off to get Paul McNeil some time, but it seems he hasn’t yet picked up the concept of team defense, and he’s forced a few too many shots.

Many outlets have been critical of Keatts’ continuous tinkering, but I’m on the fence about that.

It’s been a trend that Keatts really can’t figure out a rotation until late in the season and that’s a problem. Last year, with a roster stacked with talent, it was the same thing. There were times when Burns came off the bench, DJ Horne came off the bench, Mo Diarra wasn’t a fixture at the 4 until midway through the season, and Jayden Taylor didn’t really become a 6th man until late in the season.

All of that is true, but since you still haven’t figured things out, you have to keep tinkering and find a way to win.

So while Keatts is tinkering seemingly every game, I think it’s fair game to comment on some moves I feel like’s he’s, for some reason, completely ignored.

NC State is ranked 176th in the nation in Offensive rebounding percentage, so they are struggling on the offensive boards. Meanwhile, they are bad on the defensive boards as well, allowing their opponents a 32.9 offensive rebounding percentage. That is flat out AWFUL. In fact, it ranks 299th out of 352 Division 1 basketball teams.

Rebounding is a very important part of basketball especially when you miss a lot of shots. And NC State misses A LOT of shots.

The Pack is shooting 52.5 on 2-pointers. That’s 133rd in the nation and it’s way worse from 3-point land where they are shooting 32.2%. That’s 224th in the nation and 14th in the ACC.

So NC State needs to sure themselves up on the boards, and fast. Which lineup would help them do that?

Taking a look at the stats, it’s easy to see who NC State top rebounders are by total rebound and rebounds per game. but with all of Keatts’ tinkering it’s hard to really understand who is doing the best work on the boards because everyone’s minutes are dispersed so differently.

I decided to look at rebounds per minute. That’s where things got interesting.

Top 5 Rebounds Per Minute

1. Huntley-Hatfield – .256
2. Ismael Diouf – .22
3. Ben Middlebrooks – .202
4. Dennis Parker Jr. – .19
5. Dontrez Styles – .185

Top 5 Offensive Rebounds Per Minute

1. Ismael Diouf – .13
2. Huntley-Hatfield – .09
3. Middlebrooks – .09
4. Dennis Parker Jr. – .06
5. Dontrez Styles – .05

I’ve been saying it since the Kansas game, this team has too many tweeners, they are playing too small for a team that really can’t shoot. They need to lean into a bigger lineup and back off of the full court pressure. I was for trying BHH and Middlebrooks together, with Diouf backing up one of them at the 4 while he gets his feet wet. But in the end, Diouf is the only guy on this roster who has the skill-set needed to both rebound, defend the rim and play aggressively inside and outside at the 4 position.

Here is a snippet from that article…

Styles is easily versatile enough to play the 3. He’s not super quick, he’s more a physicality guy, so he’s not really causing havoc at the 4. Move him to the 3 where his strength plays up and creates mismatches. He can still spread the floor with his 3 ball.

Your 4 and 5 can be Ben and BHH to start, but you HAVE GOT TO START GIVING MINUTES TO DIOUF.

I just watched every possession he’s had all season long and there is zero reason he’s not getting more minutes. He’s boxing out, he’s playing aggressively, he’s fighting for rebounds. What the heck does the guy need to do to get a little more run. Maybe he doesn’t pan out, but heck, if he does then you really have someone that is more in the mold of a Mo Diarra-type stretch 4 that was the game-changer for you down the stretch.

Look, I know Diouf’s numbers come with a very small sample size, but I’ve broken down all of his possessions this season and there is no glaring holes in his game. He’s not making mistakes. He’s playing aggressively on both ends fo the floor. He’s not going to be some sort of savior, but he’s going to allow you to sure up your rebounding while allowing other guys on the roster to slot into more natural positions.

For instance. Dontrez Styles is undersized at the 4. Being undersized at the 4 hurts you in rebounding, but you hopefully are taking advantage of pulling out a bigger 4 to the perimeter and beating him off the bounce. But that’s not Styles game. He’s not super athletic, nor is he super quick. But for a 6’6 guy he’s extremely physical. He’s got a nice post game and he can knock down open outside shots. None of those attributes are being highlighted by being an undersized 4. However, they would be highlighted at the 3, where he’d likely be matched up against someone smaller who he could punish in the paint and beat on the boards.

Keatts has been doing all the tinkering he can think of and in recent post game comments he mentioned that he’s trying a lot of different combinations to see what clicks. So why not at least try to commit to Ismael Diouf, the guy who is proving himself in the measily 6.2 minutes per game that he’s being given?

I mean, it’s not like we haven’t been in a similar situation. Last year Mo Diarra, another 6’10 4-man, didn’t really get given the keys to the 4 spot until early February of last year, and look how that ended up changing things down the stretch when he settled in.

With the season already slipping away and nothing seeming to click, I don’t know what it would hurt. And heck, if this year is going to be a wash anyways, then maybe it makes sense to hand the keys to some of these youngsters so your entire roster doesn’t have to be rebuilt again next season.