NC State Basketball: 3 players that helped lead to a 7-1 record in January
D.J. Burns
D.J Burns has quickly become a fan favorite in Raleigh. In the month of January, Burns took his game to another level. In the last seven games, he averaged 16.3 points and 5 rebounds while playing 26 minutes a game.
His last game was his best game in a Wolfpack uniform. He put the team on his back, especially in the 2nd half against Wake Forest, and ended with a career-high 31 points, on 14-26 shooting to go along with 9 rebounds. The Demon Deacons decided to play Burns straight up most of the game, not sending the double team, and Burns made them pay over and over again. One of the few times they decided to bring the double Burns was able to use his vision and find freshman LJ Thomas for a corner 3, to give the Wolfpack their first lead in the 2nd half and they never gave it back coming away with a 79-77 victory on the road.
Burns’s ability to provide consistent scoring in the post has been a revelation for head coach Kevin Keatts. Keatts has been known to play through his guards in his offense, and bigs don’t do more than the occasional pick-and-roll lob threat or dump down. D.J. has given this offense another dimension that defenses have to prepare for and he has proven that he can be relied on to carry the offensive load if needed.
One of the most underrated parts of his game has been his vision and passing ability. Burns is not only one of the best-passing bigs in the ACC, but he should be recognized as one of the best-passing bigs in all of college basketball. His willingness to pass out of double teams and not force his shot has been a huge lift for this offense. Against Miami Burns nearly had a triple-double where he finished with 13 points, 7 assists, and 9 rebounds.
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NC State has a ton of momentum heading into February and these three guys are a big reason why. If the Wolfpack are able to put together another good month of basketball they could find themselves as one of the teams that could have a chance to cut down the nets in Greensboro when they compete in the ACC Tournament.