Is Paul McNeil going to play a bigger role than expected on this years team?

I think it’s worth mentioning, before we begin, that had NC State retained Kevin Keatts, we’d be coming into this season relying heavily on Paul McNeil.

Of course, Keatts would have recruited the portal, and we would have had a lot of new blood on the roster. I think it was clear that McNeil was going to be a guy NC State built around. He logged double-digit minutes in 6 of the final 8 games,  and scored double digits in 4 of those games (including a 24 points effort against Wake and 14 in the final game of the season vs Miami).

Keatts, however, was not retained, and NC State made a massive splash by hiring Will Wade.

Immediately, Wade came in and started adding big-time talent on the wing. Matthew Able (5-star SG), Derrion Williams (All-American caliber talent), Jerry Deng (6’7 wing sharpshooter), Terrance Arceneaux (key piece of Houston’s Final-4 run).

That type of haul had NC State fans excited, but it also made Paul McNeil an afterthought to many.

Where would the 6’5 tweener slot in. Could he defend enough to earn minutes at the 2? And could he beat out Matthew Able, who is a more traditional scoring guard? How would he beat out guys like Areceneaux or Williams on the wing at the 3?

Well, if you’ve listened closely over the offseason, I think you see where this might be going.

Paul McNeil, who many State fans were counting out when dreaming up lineup combinations this summer, seems to have etched out a role for himself in the stacked Wolfpack lineup. Suddenly, this deep roster just got that much deeper.

As put together as this NC State team is, there are a few areas of concern. One being, can they shoot it from outside? Tre Holloman shot 33% last year, Matthew Able is a true freshman, Alyn Breed is coming off an injury that kept him on the bench most of last season. Derrion Williams shot 34%, Jerry Deng did shoot 37% from 3 last year, but will he do enough outside of shooting to warrant big minutes? NC State does not really have a prolific shooter on this roster.

Paul McNeil saw that opening and seems to have seized it.

NC State Sophomore Paul McNeil Jr. was Lights Out From Three this Summer https://t.co/QDyIW0XVSl

— Pack Insider (@PackInsider) August 19, 2025

McNeil, a sophomore, had to find a way to stand out this summer, and he did that by shooting an INSANE 83% in the team’s 3pt assessment drills.

In 5 rounds of 100 three-point shots, McNeil made an average of 82.6 per round.

Now that’s great and all, but that’s just a drill. You have to wonder how he fared in scrimmage play all summer.

Well, Wade answered that question yesterday.

“We have four guys shooting over 40% from 3 for the summer. Led by Paul McNeil.”

“On 112 attempts, he’s made 46% of his 3s, which is phenomenal.”

When asked about carving out a niche on this years team, here is what he said…

“I’ve got to stay ready. I’ve got to hit shots. If you want to play, you’ve got to hit shots, so that’s really been my mindset going into my Sophomore year.”

From an afterthought to a potential starter? That’s where we’re at.

We’ll be looking at potential lineups later this week, but right now, with the way Wade has talked about McNeil, you have to believe the staff sees him as a big piece of the 2025-26 puzzle.