Busting Brackets
Fansided

NC State Basketball: Takeaways from 2022-23 non-conference results

By Austin Glasscox

Dec 13, 2022; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Casey Morsell (14) and guard Jarkel Joiner (1) high five during the 1st half against Furman Paladins at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2022; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Casey Morsell (14) and guard Jarkel Joiner (1) high five during the 1st half against Furman Paladins at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
North Carolina State Wolfpack David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
North Carolina State Wolfpack David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

Bench production must increase

If NC State is going to take the next step and be a legitimate NCAA Tournament team they have to start getting more production from their bench. With D.J. Burns moving to the starting lineup the current bench players are averaging a combined 2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game in 9 minutes for the 5 guys that consistently come off the bench, which will not cut it come ACC play.

In order for the Wolfpack to make some noise this season they have to get more production from the likes of LJ Thomas, Ernest Ross, Breon Pass, Greg Gantt, and Ebe Dowuona. Relying on your starters for basically all of your production is playing the game with a small margin for error.

Freshman LJ Thomas has been the one to impress the most coming off the bench. The ball seems to find him when he is in the game and provides great effort and energy in his small sample size. Against Furman, he proved that he deserves more playing time as the season progresses. He finished the game with 14 points on 4-6 shooting including 2-2 from behind the arc, 5 rebounds, 3 of which were offensive, and 4 steals in 19 minutes. If Thomas is able to give coach Keatts confidence that he can rely on him going forward, it would be wise to give Joiner and Smith a few more minutes of rest and insert Thomas in the game for longer stretches.

Ernest Ross is someone I expected to have a bigger impact coming into the season. Ross was starting to show flashes in his freshman season last year in ACC play until an ankle injury ended his season early. At times Ross looks lost on the defensive end, and physically he just isn’t strong enough to bang with bigger post players. On offense, he seems to always be in a hurry to make a play and not letting the game come to him.

Ross needs to let his athleticism take over and just work on doing the little things like rebounding and shot-blocking ability take over. His offensive game right now is rolling to the basket and either catching a lob or finishing at the rim. The Wolfpack is going to have to rely heavily on Ross coming off the bench and spelling Burns, he needs to get his confidence back and play within himself to be able to be the difference maker that this State team needs him to be.

The wildcard in all this is Isaiah Miranda. The freshman showed up last week and is eligible to play immediately. If NC State is able to get production from him as well going into ACC play, it could go a long way into making this season a successful one in Raleigh.

Home/NC State Wolfpack