ACC Basketball: Analyzing each team’s returning impact players for 2023-24

NC State

NC State is a mixed bag when you compare what they kept to what they lost, they lost their two leading scorers in Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner, but they were also able to return a number of their more important players on the last year’s roster. Their returning players are highlighted by D.J. Burns and Casey Morsell, but they are also bringing back other smaller roster pieces such as LJ Thomas, Breon Pass, and Ernest Ross.

While those bottom three names didn’t exactly put up game-changing numbers, they should all be able to expect to see an uptick in both playing time, and overall production. Especially Ross who showed potential to take a large jump in the box score on both points and rebounds if he is able to use his athleticism and size to his advantage.

Casey Morsell will easily be the most important guard that the team is able to bring back for the season. Morsell is the only returning guard that got significant minutes in last year’s rotation, and he got nearly the most amount of minutes of anyone on the team. He played an average of 35 out of 40 minutes per game for the Wolfpack. In those 35 minutes, he was able to show that the Cavaliers lost a great player when he decided to transfer to NC State from Virginia. He put up averages of 11.8 points alongside 4.4 rebounds while also showing improvement on both sides of the court.

He continued to improve on his offensive game by once again developing his 3-point shot. In each of his four years in college, Morsell has been able to greatly improve from beyond the arc and is the best long-range shooter on a power 5 team. On top of that, he also made continuous improvements with his perimeter defense where he was able to match a career-high 1.1 steals per game for the season.

In the frontcourt, D.J. Burns will be looked at as the returning leader. Burns, like Morsell, appeared in every matchup for NC State Last season, but he only got the starting nod in 22 of these games. Throughout those games, in an average of just under 23 minutes played, Burns was able to show immediate impact for the team, with flashes that showed he could be a centerpiece in the future. In his time played Burns averaged 12.5 which was third on the team, and 4.4 rebounds which was tied for second.

In a late January matchup, he showed what he can do if he’s given a larger role for the Pack when he put up an impressive 31 points on 14-26 shooting. Now with the two scorers who sat above him on the team gone, and an increased role Burns will look to solidify himself as one of the most skilled post players in the conference.