Whitty? Adams? How will NC State’s backup PG role play out?

There’s no doubt that Hofstra PG Preston Edmead will slot in as NC State’s starting PG in Justin Gainey’s first year as head coach.

Edmead was a top-priority for State in the portal, averaging 16.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game last season. He shot 40.1% from the field, 38.7% from three-point range, and 83.3% from the free-throw line.

His play in the summer workouts led NC State GM Patrick Stacy to say this…

“Preston is someone who’s going to blow the roof off Lenovo. He’s going to score 30 in the game and they’re going to come back to back to back. He’s someone who can pull from very deep. He’s a really fun player.”

With Edmead almost surely locked into the starting role, the backup PG role seems to be up for grabs. Early in summer workouts, it seemed as if true freshman PG Kingston Whitty was getting heavy reps at PG alongside Edmead.

We asked Stacy about this in our recent podcast…

“Both Preston and Kingston have embodied what Coach Gainey is looking for out of his PG. They’ve really set the tone in terms of energy and competitiveness at practice.”

There are two things that I think are worth noting here, and I’ll dig into those.

1) Kingston Whitty was Justin Gainey’s first high school commit when he arrived at NC State.
Whitty was a 4-star prospect and a West Virginia decommit. He’s a pretty unique player in that he’s a little deceptive in my opinion. When I first saw his raw tape, he seemed like a possession PG. Someone who was disciplined with the basketball, not a score-first PG, someone who wasn’t obsessed with getting up and down the floor, someone a lot like what Justin Gainey was as a player.

But the more I watched, the more I saw flashes that wowed me. Whitty was smooth, wasn’t in a rush, but when he needed to, he had an elite burst. He could jump out of the gym, but he was selective in choosing his spots to use that athleticism. It became clear why Gainey jumped on Whitty fast. At 6’2, 165, he was a good-sized PG who had a frame ready to put on weight and a gear that not many others had.

2) The second thing worth noting is that Justin Gainey is no stranger to freshmen taking big-time roles. In fact, Gainey himself, a Greensboro, NC native who was a bit underrecruited, came to NC State and very quickly took over as the starting PG. In fact, he led them on an exciting ACC Tournament run where they played 4 games in 4 days, of which he played every single minute. He set the record for minutes played in the tournament with 160 as he led State to the championship game (falling to UNC). Point is, Gainey won’t be shy about giving Whitty a role early on if he earns it.

And since getting to State, Whitty hasn’t disappointed.

Here is what Stacy had to say about him…

“He’s an amazing athlete. Really, really good athlete. He’s obviously a freshman still and learning as he goes, but he brings it everyday. Total workhorse, in the gym 4 times a day. Someone you know and you can say with really good confidence that by the time his career is over he’s going to be someone you can trust to run your program, have the keys to the offense, and win you a lot of games.”

Seeing some video and hearing from Stacy, it seems like the early plan is for Whitty to slot in as the backup.

And that very well could be the way it plays out this season; however, I think it’s worth noting the “he’s obviously still a freshman and learning as he goes” line.

Coming in and playing PG as a freshman isn’t easy, and if you’ve watched a lot of college basketball, it’s pretty rare, especially at the ACC level.

So if not Whitty, then who?

Again, it may not be the plan right now, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Maryland transfer Darius Adams eventually emerge as someone State uses as a change-of-pace PG.

I say that because Adams, at 6’5, 190 lbs, is a big, talented guard (former McDonald’s All-American)  with a strong handle, great balance, and crafty footwork. There are going to be matchups where you’re playing bigger, stronger guards. There are going to be nights where the 3’s just aren’t falling. On those nights, NC State is going to need to figure out how to go get a bucket. I think this is where Adam’s value comes in.

Here is what Stacy had to say about him…

“He’s a really, really talented McDonald’s All-American. He does some things that you can’t teach, and when you think about what Q was for us last year, he just has a knack for getting to his spots. He’s crafty around the basket with finishing and can kind of do a lot of different things.”

I think the early thought amongst fans is that Adams slots in at the 2 behind Christian Hammond, or battles him for that job, and that very well may be how it plays out, but like Q, Adams isn’t really a catch and shoot (or catch and attack) guy. At least that’s not what we saw last year at Maryland.

Adams’ size, paired with his unique skillset, was highlighted most when he was attacking off the dribble, getting into the teeth of the defense, and getting to the rim and/or the foul line.

NC State doesn’t really have another guy like that, but at the same time, Adams, like Q, would sometimes become a little too ball-dominant. His usage rate was higher than Copeland’s last year, and for a freshman who shot just 25% from 3, that’ll get you in trouble.

Despite the uniqueness of the skillset and the value he brings, that style of attack becomes one-dimensional and easy to guard. That’s why I think Adams and a Swiss Army knife is probably the best way to use him. With a team full of elite jump shooters, a true rim-pressure 6’5 guard will add a layer that will cause problems for opposing defenses.

I think a lot depends on Whitty. If he’s ready and emerges this season, then yes, he slots in as your backup PG. But that just doesn’t happen much early in the season for freshmen. So it’s why it’s not hard for me to envision Hammond and Adams at the 2 most of the time, but if State needs to change up the pace, find a bucket at the rim, or gain a little size at PG, they turn to Adams in a Quadir Copeland role (but only in stretches to limit usage rate).

The last thing worth noting is that we’re judging Adams on a season at Maryland where he was thrust into a very tough spot. My comments on the uphill battle freshmen PGs face were playing out last season when Darius was asked to be the primary ball handler and primary scorer on a Big Ten team. Maryland dealt with injuries on and off all season that forced Adams into a much larger role than expected.

It was too much for a freshman PG, and while his counting stats looked ok (1o pts, 3.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists), his usage rate was through the roof, and his efficiency numbers weren’t great (neither were his shooting numbers: 35% FG and 25% 3Pt).

But with a new role more fitting to his experience and skillset, a new system, a stronger supporting cast, and a healthy shooting hand, we could see a different Darius Adams. One that the scouts envisioned when they were ranking him among the top players in his class, and someone who was an emerging 3-level scorer.

Stacy even hinted at this…

“Darius was dealing with an injury last year on his shooting hand, so to get him back to where we think he can be as a jump shooter…when Darius pops, it’s going to take us to a whole different level. We’re really excited about that.”

Whether Whitty emerges as a freshman ready to take the reins, or Adams adjusts and gives State a true change of pace PG option, I think NC State is all set at backup PG.

What do you think? How does this play out? Give us your thoughts on social media, and we’ll have that conversation with you.