WOLFERETTI: Here is what I think NC State Basketball’s starting lineup will look like.

Ok, I’ll admit, outside of watching the video of their open practice, and clips from Instagram, I really haven’t seen the NC State team play together.

What I have seen is Will Wade’s maneuvering, the timing of his additions, and what he’s had to say about his team in the recent press conference. Pairing that with the video and from intel on what Wade “wants to prioritize”, I’m going to go ahead and give you a way too early guess that the Wolfpack’s ‘Staring 5’…

PG: Tre Holloman
SG: Paul McNeil
SF: Quadir Copeland
PF: Darrion Williams
C: Van-Allen Lubin

Ok, so I know the consensus is that Holloman and Copeland will share time at the point, but I don’t think it’s going to be one or the other for Wade. If you watch the practice and clips, it’s clear that Copeland and Holloman are the vocal leaders of this team. These guys are both seniors and both very good defensive players. They also allow you to have two elite ball handlers on the floor. I think Wade trots them out there together quite a bit.

Paul McNeil at the 2 seems like a guarantee to me. I know there was a lot of early hype around Matthew Able, but he’s a freshman, and I’d be willing to bet Wade wants to see how he adjusts to college basketball and puts him in a position where he can earn a larger role with his on-court play. Meanwhile, McNeill’s shooting has been the talk of camp, and it’s one big question mark this roster had coming into the season.

The odd guy out of this starting 5 is Terrance Arceneaux. I think there is a chance he ends up in there, but right now, I think this team is willing to take a slight dip defensively to get a ball handler and playmaker on the floor (and that’s assuming Copeland is a slight dip defensively from Arceneaux). Bringing Terrance off the bench allows you to play Holloman and Copeland at the same time, which gives you the ball-handling help you’ll need from slotting McNeil in at the 2.

Now, I’m not saying McNeil is a bad ball handler, but he’s not creating a lot of rim pressure off the dribble. And while Tre Holloman is going to be a great PG addition, he isn’t really a rim pressure guy either. That leaves you with Copeland, who is one guy who is just constantly putting pressure on the defense with his ability and desire to get to the rack.

I think Williams and Lubin are a given to start at the 4 and 5 and I don’t think many will argue with that.

All of this said, Wade is going to play 9 guys (maybe 10 on some nights), so who starts really doesn’t matter. This team is super interchangeable and can play however they need to play. They can space you out without giving up size (using Jerry Deng on the wing), they can go with an all-defensive unit, using Arceneaux, Holloman, and Copeland all at once. They can go small with shooters out there lining up Copeland, Able, McNeil, Deng, and Williams at the 5. And honestly, that’s not really ‘going small’ aside from having Williams at the 5. Deng is 6’9 and the rest of the guys are 6’6.

Will Wade is going to have different lineups for different matchups, and starting 5 doesn’t matter, but it’s something we’re all wondering, so I figured, as always, I’d give you my thoughts.