NC State has a handful of players in the NBA D-League that are making quite an impact. There are 22 teams in the D-League as of now with more expansions in the works. NBA teams have embraced the D-League as an environment to send young players to develop their skills and conditioning. This season a total of 79 NBA players have played in the D-League, including 13 first round selections. Let’s take a look at how some NC State guys are fairing and how likely they are to be called up.
Scott Wood | Santa Cruz Warriors | 6-5 | SG
Scott Wood received an invite from the Golden State Warriors to participate in their training camp. Wood was optioned to their D-League affiliate and has made the most of the opportunity. Averaging 14.5 PPG and leading the NBAD in made three-pointers at 102 made. The Santa Cruz Warriors play uptempo with the freedom to shoot threes in transition, and in the half-court. Scott has thrived at Santa Cruz starting all but one game and giving them a deadly weapon from the outside.
10 made three pointers is the Santa Cruz franchise single-game record which Wood most recently claimed. In his last three games, he has managed to make 21 three-pointers. His production of 102 made three-pointers out of 224 attempts is impressive. Not only has Wood been lights out from three but he has improved his all-around game. He has started to get to the rim to draw fouls. This season he is shooting 96.3% from the free-throw line. NBA teams will have to take notice of Wood’s superior shooting and should be able to claim a 10-day contract. Personally, I do not see a reason why a team would not want an inexpensive 6-5 shooter on their roster. There are not many players that can shoot the ball as efficiently as Wood.
CJ Williams | Texas Legends | 6-5 | SG
CJ Williams had a great showing in the NBA D-League showcase scoring 32 points aginst Santa Cruz. Williams is averaging 12.5 PPG and 4 RPG. CJ has a solid all-around game showing the ability to create off the bounce to hit mid-range jump shots as well as shooting the three-ball. Williams’ has a strong frame at 230 pounds allowing him to get to his spots. The NBA will be a tough destination for Williams; however, if he can continue to improve his defense and playmaking he could have a shot at a 10-day contract.
CJ Leslie | Raptors 905 | 6-9 | F
Leslie is trying to improve the skills necessary to make an NBA roster. He is averaging 10.4 PPG and 5.7 RPG. CJ has prototypical size and athleticism for the NBA; however, he has had to clean up some fundamentals. Leslie has competed more consistently on both ends of the court giving the Raptors 905 a versatile player capable of impacting the game in multiple ways. This season CJ has shown improvement in his shooting form although the numbers are not there yet, he is progressing. His release is more compact and follows through is consistent. CJ has potential it is just a matter of using his skills in a way that will peak an NBA team’s interest. If Leslie can prove to be a consistently high energy defender willing to use his length and athletic ability to get stops he can be in the NBA.
Cat Barber | Delaware 87ers | 6-1 | PG
Averaging 14.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 3.9 APG Barber has been able to find ways to impact games for Delaware. Cat has elite speed and quickness that NBA teams look for but has to show he is more than just a high-volume scorer. Barber recently had a look at the 76ers as they had a roster opening but did not make the cut. Cat is still young at 22 years old and should have time to develop as a defender and playmaker. Barber will also have the chance to play overseas if he feels the need to make more money.
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin was ecstatic that NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson was available for Pittsburgh to pick up with the 98th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“We had to get comfortable with his medical and we brought him in on a pre draft visit. We allowed our medical experts to really get a good evaluation of him. We talked to him about his injury history. We were at a place of comfort. And so from that perspective, man, we’re really excited about having him.” (Link)
“Man, we’re really excited about Peyton. When we turn his tape on, we see him making all the type of plays you need linebackers to make. He’s a volume tackle player. He makes plays in the passing game from a coverage perspective via interception and pass breakup. He gets after the quarterback in the blitz game. He’s got a very well-rounded skillset. He’s a fluid mover. He can run. Had an opportunity to lay some real up close eyes on him down there in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, we’re thankful we had an opportunity to get him. He’s got all the hardware that comes with some of those things that I described being a Butkus Award winner and so forth. We had to get comfortable with his medical and we brought him in on a pre draft visit. We allowed Our medical experts to really get a good evaluation of him. We talked to him about his injury history. We were at a place of comfort. And so from that perspective, man, we’re really excited about having him.” (Link)
“I think you could characterize it as surprised. I mean, he is an award-winning linebacker, Butkus Award winner. Had an opportunity to get really familiar with him down in Mobile as well. But the linebackers themselves weren’t coming off the board at that juncture. So sometimes they make runs on positions at different times and it hadn’t been a lot of linebackers to that point. I think what he was number five or so.” (Link)
“We’re really excited about Payton. When we turn his tape on, we see him making all the types of plays you need linebackers to make. He’s a volume tackle player. He makes plays in the passing game from a coverage perspective via interception and pass breakup. He gets after the quarterback in the blitz game. He’s got a very well-rounded skill set. He’s a fluid mover. We had to get comfortable with his medical, and we were. We brought him in on a pre-draft visit to allow our medical experts to really get a good evaluation of him. We talked to him about his injury history. We were at a place of comfort, and so from that perspective, we’re really excited about having him.” (Link)
NC State Cornerback Shyheim Battle has received an invitation from the New York Jets to participate in their Rookie Mini Camp.
NC State’s Shyheim Battle has been invited to rookie mini camp with the Jets with the opportunity to earn a priority free agent contract. #ncstate#NFLDraft#wpn
Battle had 1 year of eligibility remaining, but declared for the NFL Draft on January 3rd.
He finished this past year as the most experienced player on the Wolfpack’s defense, starting in 41 of the 51 games he has played in dating back to 2019. In a rarity in this day-and-age, Battle was a 4-year starter at the Cornerback position for NC State. He graduated with a degree in Communications.
In his final season in Red and White, Battle had 46 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 4 pass breakups and 1 fumble recovery. His PFF Grade of 70.6 was the 7th best on the Wolfpack defense.
In his one season in Raleigh, Narveson made 18 of his 23 Field Goal attempts for the Wolfpack, and made all 38 Extra Point attempts. Narveson made some history in his one season at NC State, kicking a 57-yard Field Goal against Duke, breaking the school record for the longest Field Goal.
Narveson ranked 4th in the ACC in Field Goals attempted (23), and 5th in Field Goals made (18) this season. He ranked 9th in conference in scoring (7.1 points per game).
