Earlier this offseason, the NC State men’s basketball team was faced with the potential losses of Cat Barber, Abdul-Malik Abu and BeeJay Anya to the NBA Draft while the Martin twins transferred out of the program.

Then like a flood, it all happened at once. Three-star forward Darius Hicks committed to the Wolfpack May 13, giving it some depth in what seemed to be an exodus of Wolfpack basketball players.

Turkish center and five-star prospect Omer Yurtseven signed with the Wolfpack May 16. Realizing the potential at hand, Abu and Anya both withdrew their names from the NBA Draft. The transfer rumors surrounding Abu also quit, and everyone exhaled.

Four-star point guard Markell Johnson joined the team on June 20 to add just a little bit more depth. Then to put the icing on the cake, four-star forward Ted Kapita signed with NC State June 24. All of a sudden, the Wolfpack has a top-five recruiting class nationally, according to 247Sports. 

The basketball gods seemed at peace with NC State for once. A team that looked like it would run a six-man rotation now has some depth and breathing room for a long season ahead. Forward Lennard Freeman, who played much of last year hurt, can now sit this year out and heal his ailing body.

So, what will the addition of Johnson, Kapita and Hicks look like for the Wolfpack?

With Barber gone, it looked like freshman Dennis Smith Jr. was going to spend most, if not all of the 40 minutes running point guard. With Johnson added to the roster, NC State head basketball coach Mark Gottfried has some room to work with.

Johnson was the number-one-ranked point guard coming out of Ohio in the 2016 recruiting class. The 6-foot-1 playmaker will give Smith an opportunity to play a little bit off the ball as well. Johnson is a playmaker who can help take the pressure off Smith to run the offense on a game-by-game basis.

Smith is coming off a torn ACL, and while he is progressing greatly, the addition of Johnson will surely help him keep his minutes low to start out the season in hopes he doesn’t re-injure himself. For an offense that seemed to be stagnant last year, Johnson can also help create space on the court.

This past spring, Johnson played on a Nike EYBL team and averaged 18.2 points, 5.9 boards and 4.9 assists.

Kapita is the most recent commit to the squad and will be vital during the season. With Freeman rumored to redshirt the 2016-17 year, Kapita will likely be thrown into a frontcourt that includes Abu, Anya and Yurtseven. There is plenty of space for him to thrive in this rotation.

At DME Academy this past season, Kapita averaged 12 points and seven boards. One of the biggest things that he can help the Wolfpack with immediately is his free-throw shooting. He shot 83 percent from the line, which is a vast improvement from any current frontcourt player on the roster.

Kapita will look to help spread the court as he can knock down perimeter jumpers, something the roster was clearly lacking last season. He may also be helpful if Yurtseven is not cleared for action, which is possible with the NCAA. Whatever happens, Kapita brings a lot of depth to this team and could see his role transform over the course of the year.

The best part about Hicks, who committed to the team when uncertainty was high about who would be where, is that while he may not be able to contribute greatly to this team right now, he can be a four-year player. He can be one who works hard every single day of the year to improve his game and get better and see a starting job open later in his years.

Right now, Hicks adds length and depth to this roster. He will more or less be used as much as Shaun Kirk was this past season. He could give some much-needed defense and energy off the bench. One of Hicks’ strong suits is that he can play multiple positions, and in that case, he can also guard multiple positions. 

With the addition of these players, the ACC is going to be highly competitive next season and the Wolfpack has the opportunity to make a run as one of the top teams in the conference.