Wake Forest Basketball: Impact of landing Gonzaga transfer Hunter Sallis

Wake Forest Basketball head coach Steve Forbes secured his second transfer portal addition of the offseason on Wednesday with the addition of Hunter Sallis from Gonzaga.

The former McDonald’s All-American and third-highest recruit in Gonzaga history (behind only Chet Holmgreen and Jalen Suggs), provides an injection of talent into this Wake roster. He’s the first five-star player in Winston-Salem since one-and-done Jaylen Hoard back in 2018.

Sallis should instantly become a starter for the Demon Deacons and has two years of eligibility remaining. He averaged 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 46.6% shooting from the field during his sophomore season for the Bulldogs.

The 6-foot-5 180 lb guard is an explosive athlete. He thrives at attacking the basket in the halfcourt and in transition, with his ability to blow by defenders with his long and fast strides.

He came off the bench for Mark Few the last two seasons, never topping 30 minutes played in a single game. Gonzaga posted a 59-10 record across the last two seasons. While Sallis was part of the eight-man rotation (16.8 minutes per game), he didn’t become as big of a factor as he was expected to be.

This can be attributed to two main factors. For one, Gonzaga is a powerhouse program, so Sallis had to compete for playing time with several experienced and polished players. The other reason is his struggle to become a legitimate threat from behind the arc. Sallis shot just 16-62 (25.8%) from three-point land in his Gonzaga career. He didn’t make a single trey in the month of March (0-7). I’ve noticed that Sallis’ elbow sticks out a bit on his jumpshot, making for a slightly unorthodox release.

But there’s plenty of reason to believe that with the ball in his hands more in Forbes’ offensive system, Sallis’ numbers could improve significantly. The coaching staff will give him plenty of confidence to let it fly. He’s shooting 75.4% from the free throw line through two collegiate seasons, and he just turned 20 years old, so I’m very optimistic about his ability to improve as a shooter. The junior totally has what it takes to become a high-level scorer.  On top of that, Sallis has a ton of defensive upside with his athleticism and 6-foot-10 wingspan.

The former Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year chose Wake Forest over his home state university. Sallis visited both Winston-Salem and Lincoln last week.

Also of note — Sallis’ Gonzaga teammate Efton Reid is reportedly visiting Wake this weekend. Reid, a 7-foot 240 lb big who started his career at LSU, was a highly touted five-star recruit coming out of high school as well.  He started every game for the Tigers in 2021-22, but only averaged 4.7 minutes per game for the Bulldogs this past season.

It’s not a necessity, but adding one more big seems like the missing piece for this roster. The other swirling remaining question for Forbes’ group next season is the NBA draft decision from breakout freshman Bobi Klintman. If Klintman returns to school and Forbes can land Reid, Wake Forest is looking at a very deep rotation:

Guards: Kevin Miller, Cameron Hildreth, Hunter Sallis, Jao Ituka, Parker Frieidrichsen, Aaron Clark

Wings: Bobi Klintman, Damari Monsanto, Marqus Marion

Bigs: Andrew Carr, Efton Reid, Matthew Marsh, Zach Keller

Another offseason question is the status of Damari Monsanto. Monsanto tore his left patella tendon in late February. His return timetable is unclear, so I’m not so sure if will be available to start the season. Wake Forest’s 2023-24 outlook will be heavily impacted by Monsanto’s health, Klintman’s decision, and Forbes’ ability to bring in another transfer.

While plenty of details remain up in the air for next season, the addition of Sallis is a significant move, and one that Deacon Nation should be very excited about. Wake was lacking talent outside of Appleby and Monsanto last season, so adding a player with this high of a ceiling is a great get for this program.