On paper and through predictions, junior forward C.J. Leslie was supposed to be a superstar. His season averages, however, have come out to be just what they are: average.
Through 31 games, Leslie is averaging 14.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He is averaging just 0.2 points more this season than last season.
He’s supposed to be an NBA draft lottery pick, right? Think again.
Long story short, the preseason ACC Player of the Year has been a let down.
ACC coaches picked N.C. State to win the conference. Leslie was named a preseason All-American and was placed on the John R. Wooden award list. None of these predictions have been realized.
Expected to have a breakout year, and potentially be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, Leslie will now be faced with a decision return for his senior year or make the jump to the next level.
He should stay in school.
There is no doubt Leslie has talent and could be successful at the next level, but he hasn’t shown any sort of consistency.
He shows flashes of potential here and there big flashes but his smug facial expression and lazy play, at times, paint the wrong picture of a player who has aspirationstions of shining in professional basketball.
State faced its first “real” test of the season against Oklahoma State in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament championship game and was essentially without its “star.” Leslie played 17 minutes, shot 20 percent from the floor, grabbed four rebounds and had two points a lousy two points.
Leslie’s performance in the team’s first bout against Clemson, where he scored only six points, is often forgotten, probably because State eked out the win.
He’s also had two games, which happened to be back-to-back against Virginia and rival UNC-Chapel Hill, where he turned the ball over seven times. If you’ve been labeled the leader of the team, there’s no reason to seamlessly hand the ball to the opponent.
But, his two most disappointing showings came late in the season, against North Carolina and Florida State, the last game of the season that would have clinched the No. 3 spot in the conference and a first round bye in the ACC tournament with a win.
In the second meeting between State and the Tar Heels, Leslie turned the ball over six times, went 3-for-8 from the floor and scored a total of six points against the team’s biggest rival on the road.
The last game of the season, against FSU, Leslie had a typical “C.J.” meltdown. Five points, 40 percent from the field, and two turnovers in 18 minutes won’t get it done. The team relies on him.
If the team is going to be successful, Leslie has to play like he was projected to play in the preseason.
There is still time. The season isn’t lost, but Leslie has to find a way to shift it into high gear. If he wants to help himself boost his draft stock and help his team win an ACC or NCAA championship, he must find his game that lifted the team over No. 1 Duke, when he outplayed Mason Plumlee and scored 25 points.
Will he be known as the lackadaisical player who underachieved in his final season and bolted for the NBA, or the player who put his nose to the grindstone, played to his potential and cut down nets as a hero?
