ROSTER BUILDING: NC State needs elite front court pieces. What type of big men will they target?

In our first installment of this series, I talked a little about who we can expect back and who might be heading out. That led us into the second installment, where I discussed how important it will be for Wade to bring in the right PG.

But the biggest problem with last year’s team, and something Wade has pubilcally commented on, is adding size and athleticism to the front court.

This past year they went heavy on skill with Ven-Allen Lubin and Darrion Williams. Lubin worked out well; Darrion didn’t quite meet expectations. In fact, statistically, they were really two ends of the spectrum. Lubin finished 1st in the ACC in FG%, and it wasn’t even close. He was extremely efficient in the paint, converting on 67% of his shots. Meanwhile, UNC’s Henry Veesaar was a distant second at 61%.

Darrion Williams, on the other hand, struggled immensely from inside the arc. In fact, he finished 805 out of 815 D1 players in 2pt FG% at 37.2% (minimum 100 shots).

Williams did end up giving NC State a real threat from 3pt range at the 4. He shot 40.4% from long range and was second on the team in made 3s with 78. With McNeil, William, Able, and Holloman being a threat from 3, it allowed for great floor spacing, giving Copeland room to create and Lubin room to operate without too many doubles.

But for everything these guys gave you, they also hindered you on defense.

Lubin was physical and played bigger than his 6’8, 250 lb frame, but the top teir ACC teams all have a competent 7-footer on their roster, and Lubin simply couldn’t deal with that one-on-one on the block. Nor was he able to stay in front of the guards, he would get switched onto when Wade was switching 1 through 5.

And when you can’t deal with your man one-on-one, you need help. Once that help is sent, it creates a dominoe effect that puts your defense into chaos with rotations that need to happen fast, and reads that require focus, max effort, and great anticipation. NC State had this in spurts, but never could find consistency.

When they didn’t send help, teams would isolate and score, sometimes at will.

And this was happening with both Lubin and Williams (who was slightly more versatile defensively, but was severely undersized at 6’6 and just never showed the physicality that would have made it possible to use his frame to his advantage).

These things became NC State’s fatal flaws. They couldn’t compete offensively without Lubin and Williams on the floor, but they couldn’t compete consistently on defense with them out there.

Wade vowed to change that this offseason. Here are a few quotes that hint at a shift in philosophy from last year. Explaining that they were scrambling a bit in year one, but believe ‘hit rate’ will go way up next year…

Then after the loss to Texas, Wade laid out the plan with even more clarity…

“We need front-court help. We need three guys who can play multiple positions. We need massive front-court help. There’s zero doubt about that.”

“We do much better research now. We’ve got a hell of a plan. I’ve been working on this for the last six weeks. We’ve got a good plan of what we’re going to do and the type of people we want to target at each position. We’re going to go find some guys that fit our profiles.”

“We had just a different mixture of guys (at McNeese St). Guys who had an insatiable will to win, a desire to prove people wrong. Just had a way about them that they wanted to go against the establishment a little bit. We had a bunch of guys here that are pretty comfortable, live a good life, and love being here. It’s just not how I am and so on. We had guys that fit a little bit more how we want to be moving forward.”

Read the tea leaves. Wade is essentially saying that he needs versatile front-court pieces. But he’s not just going out and getting guys with good stats. He’s going to get guys that fit the program this season. And what does ‘fit the program’ mean?

He says it right there. “Guys who had an insatiable will to win, a desire to prove people wrong. Just had a way about them that they wanted to go against the establishment a little bit.” This should be music to every Wolfpack fan’s ears. This is what NC State fans have always wanted. A blue-collar, chip-on-the-shoulder group of talented players who want to be here and who want to prove something.

This is where you’re going to see it all come together. This is when NC State makes that next jump.

If Wade pulls this off, you’ll see why he was such a good fit. There will be cohesion between the fanbase, the coaching staff, and the players. All singing the same tune.

Let’s get into the specifics. What type of front-court player is Wade targeting?

You’re going to see Wade bring in two or three front-court players.

Front Court Piece #1: I believe you’ll see him go all-in to bring home a top-tier big. A huge chunk of money is going to be dedicated to bringing in an athletic, high-motor, above-the-rim type front-court player. A guy who can defend, rebound, and block shots on the defense. Someone who can be a true menace in the pick-and-roll, giving whoever State brings in at PG a real lob option and can be a big time front scorer .

Who will be available that fits this mold? Well, I think pickings will be slim if you’re just looking at the transfer market. I believe State is working hard to bring a major piece from overseas. Remember, Andrew Slater (NC State GM) was brought here to give the Wolfpack a step-up in the international pipeline, and Wade snuck away during this season at one point to either scout or meet with guys across the pond. Something is brewing over there and I don’t think it will take long for news to start trickling out about what that is.

Front Court Piece #2: I think the second big they’ll bring in will be someone who is a dog on the boards. Tall, strong, and willing to work on that end of the floor. I think this will be a more traditional find in the portal and I’d start looking at targets that we know the NC State staff values.

My intial focus is on James Scott, the former Louisville big man who almost committed to the Pack this past season before heading to Ole Miss. Scott is almost surely going back in the portal and NC State will be interested if he does. He’s a guy who fits the mold for what this team needs. High motor, above the rim, shot blocking, lob finishing, board eating, low-usage big man.

After averaging 7 points and 6 boards in just 23 minutes at Louisville, he went to an Ole Miss team that was dysfunctional from the get-go. At one point, they lost 11 of 13 games in conference.

But something changed down the stretch. Suddenly, James Scott was given a larger role. From 15-20 minutes to around 30 minutes per game. And with that bump in playing time came a bump in production. Ole Miss beat Texas in the SEC tournament, then took out UGA before upsetting #15 Alabama. They eventually lost to #17 Arkansas in OT, but the turnaround was real for Ole Miss and James Scott was at the heart of it.

During that 4-game stretch, he brought down 41 rebounds, blocked 11 shots, and scored 28 points.

He emerged as a key front-court piece and with all the turmoil at Ole Miss this season, there is speculation he will jump back into the portal. He’s a Fayetteville, NC native who nearly committed to Wade the first time around. Could he circle back and fill that second post spot? If so, it’d be a huge get for the Wolfpack.

Other guys NC State targeted last year were Jarin Stevenson at UNC (keep an eye on that coaching situation), although I’m not sure he really fits the profile they are looking for as he’s a less athletic, more below-the-rim, stretch 4, versatility piece at 6’10.

Keep an eye on Najai Hines, a 6’10 TANK that played this year at Seton Hall. While there is no real indication he’ll enter the portal after having a pretty nice freshman season (18 minutes per game, 6.5 points, 5.5 boards), but NC State was heavy on him as a high school senior. He’s got the type of dog mentality that Wade might be talking about. He’s a former tight end who had multiple football offers before deciding to focus fully on basketball.

Would 6’9 stretch-4 Mackenzie Mgbako enter the fold again? He had close ties to NC State GM Andrew Slater, and many believed he’d land at NC State during the open portal season last year. Obviously, he didn’t, opting to go to Texas A&M, but an injury derailed his season after starting strong with 10 points and 5 boards per game. He said ‘unemphatically’ that he’s planning on returning, but this is the NIL era folks, so you have to learn to never say never.

Would Tyler Harris get back in the mix? The 6’7 Vanderbilt forward never really panned out this season after officially visiting NC State last March. He looked like a sure-fire breakout candidate after averaging 11 points and 5 rebounds as a sophomore at Washington. He shot 49% from 3 that season with 91 attempts that season. But last year things just didn’t work out. He only played 13 minutes per game, averaging 5.5 points and 2 rebounds, while shooting a miserable 29% from 3. I’d assume he’ll head into the portal and if NC State is looking to move McNeil to the 2, Harris could be a versatile piece you could plug at the 3/4 if he can regain his form. Is he someone you could get at a discounted rate after his down season?

Those are just some names to watch if you believe Wade would use his prior relationships with these kids and circle back. All of these are speculation until the portal opens and they enter, except for James Scott. I believe NC State will be in on him heavily if he enters. There will also be a host of new guys this round that NC State will certainly evaluate (and we’ll report on as they enter).

What will NC State do for its front-court depth spot?
It depends on how the overseas stuff shakes out. I could see them bringing 2 bit time front-court pieces from over there. I could also see them taking a ‘stud’ (Wade’s words, not mine) from over the pond and a high-end piece from the portal.

If that happens, what would that mean for Trevon Carter-Givens and Zymicah Wilkins?

Carter-Givens is the 4-star, 6’10 big man who committed to NC State earlier this year, and Wilkins stayed after Keatts left and redshirted.

I’ve heard the staff really likes the changes Wilkins made to his body and we already know he was a 6’9 guy that was massively skilled coming out of high school. He’s got great footwork, great hands, and now that he’s slimmed down, can likely guard multiple positions. The staff has seen him for a full season, and if they feel like he’s ready to compete, he could stay and claim that final spot. That would be interesting because he would likely come a lot cheaper than guys in the portal with the same size and skillset.

As for TCG? We’ll see. He’s more of a project, and with Wade looking to win now, we’ll have to see how the roster shakes out. He could redshirt if State gets a frontcourt haul in the portal, but is that what he wants to do? Lots of questions here, but this is a major focus for NC State. How well they perform over the next few weeks with front-court talent will go a long way in predicting the style of play and the ceiling for next year’s squad.