A robust NC State men’s basketball program is ready to put last year’s historically disappointing 11-21 season behind it — and this is the team that’s going to do it.

Projected starting five

Guard – Jarkel Joiner

Transferring from Ole Miss, graduate guard Jarkel Joiner is easily NC State’s most exciting addition from the past offseason. Outside of his ability as a scorer, Joiner adds a necessary veteran presence to help mold this strung-together Wolfpack team consisting of younger players and transfers into a cohesive unit.

In five seasons of collegiate athletics, Joiner spent two with Cal State Bakersfield, then transferred to Ole Miss where he redshirted before playing his final two seasons as an undergraduate athlete. In his second year, Joiner lit up the Western Athletic conference with 15.6 points per game on 45.1% shooting from the field, adding 1.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. His second year stands as his best season of college basketball to date, earning an opportunity to face stiffer competition as a Rebel.

Tougher opponents created a small dropoff in Joiner’s per-game stats, but all the talent that landed him on the 2018-19 All-WAC First Team was still there. Last year, Joiner posted 13.2 points per game on 41% shooting while nailing 34% of his 4.7 three-point attempts per outing. NC State will have to look elsewhere for playmaking, however, with Joiner coming off a year in which he only accumulated 2.3 assists per game.

Guard – Terquavion Smith

The hottest commodity on NC State’s roster this year is sophomore guard Terquavion Smith, who enters the season as one of the most hyped bucket-getters in the country. Smith earned himself the fourth spot on the Preseason All-ACC First Team, and he’s primed to blow his stats from last year sky-high.

Smith averaged 20.6 points per 40 minutes in 2021-22, pacing the team in scoring ability by that metric on his way to leading the ACC in three-point attempts with 260 on the year. As a freshman, he logged 16.3 points per game on 39.8% shooting from the field and 36.9% from beyond the arc. Outside of scoring, Smith averaged 2.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.7 turnovers per game.

Perhaps the most impactful part of Smith’s game is his confidence, which never wavered a bit despite NC State’s rollercoaster of performances. That confidence empowers him to trust his shot at all times, defend the perimeter with an unmatched intensity and inspire his teammates to do just the same. Scoring was his forte as a freshman, but expect leadership to become one of Smith’s greatest qualities in his second year with the Wolfpack.

Forward – Jack Clark

As one of the few true wings on NC State’s roster, graduate forward Jack Clark’s game resembles that of Dereon Seabron heavily. Transferring from La Salle in the offseason to join the Pack, Clark earned his name as a slashing, board-grabbing wing. While not on the playmaking level of Seabron, Clark provides incredible value to the lineup in complementing Joiner and Smith’s perimeter-dominant offense.

Last year, Clark posted a career-best 12 points per game on 38.4% shooting from the field. Hitting the lane hard is his greatest strength, shooting 45.9% inside two-point range in 2021-22, but things drop off significantly once he’s on the other side of the arc — shooting 29.8% from three last season. NC State has plenty of threats from beyond the arc without needing Clark to produce in that department, which should help him settle into a comfortable role as an on-ball driving threat.

Forward – DJ Burns

The most decorated of NC State’s transfers, graduate froward DJ Burns, enters the program after being awarded the 2021-22 Big South Player of the Year award. In his final season with Winthrop, Burns averaged 15 points per game on 62.6% shooting from the field with 1.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per game.

His game is at its best when he can work opposing defenders on the low block, excelling in finishing at the rim. The biggest drawback to his game, however, is his ability as a defender — which could create issues for the Pack when facing the dominant bigs of the ACC. With a defensive box plus/minus of -1.3 last year, Burns played at near-replacement level against much lesser competition. It’s significantly late in his career to expect a change to his defense, so head coach Kevin Keatts and the rest of the staff will have to find ways to send help his way.

Forward – Ebenezer Dowuona

Junior forward Ebenezer Dowuona was thrown into the fray last year, becoming a mainstay in the starting lineup following Manny Bates’ season-ending injury in the first game of the season. While the situation wasn’t great — made clear by the team’s final record — Dowuona showed flashes of being an elite shot blocker and finisher under the rim, but his game still had plenty of inconsistencies. Fortunately, he finds himself in better company in the big department with the likes of Burns playing alongside him to carry the physicality of NC State’s lineup.

In 27 games started in 2021-22, Dowuona averaged 4.1 points per game with 0.2 assists, 0.4 steals and 1.7 blocks. The last figure placed him fourth in the ACC for blocks per game, and he found himself at the same ranking with his 7.5% block percentage. Rim protection is his greatest strength, which is to be expected from a 6-foot-11-inch, 225-pound man.

However, much like Burns, Dowuona has struggled in the rebounding department historically, averaging only 4.1 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game last year. Alongside playmaking, rebounding is one of the larger gaps in NC State’s game that’ll need to be improved as the season progresses.

Rotation players

Guard – Casey Morsell

Senior guard Casey Morsell found his footing as an efficient scorer and effective defender with the Pack in his first season after transferring from Virginia. Set up to be the first man off the bench in this year’s lineup, the 6-foot-3-inch, 200-pound combo guard provides necessary depth at the guard position and can change game scripts with his on-ball defense.

Forward – Dusan Mahorcic

Another contender for sixth man on this roster, 6-foot-10-inch, 235-pound graduate forward Dusan Mahorcic provides much-needed depth and physicality. Mahorcic’s college career has taken him to four different programs before joining NC State in his fifth season, but with a year of Power Five basketball at Utah under his belt, he seems as prepared as possible to make an impact in the ACC as a rebounding and defensive threat.

Forward – Greg Gantt

Redshirt junior forward Greg Gantt has yet to make his NC State debut, burning a medical redshirt in his first season with the Pack after transferring from Providence. While currently dealing with a minor thumb injury, Gantt is expected to see the court often this year to put his skills as a statistically above-average defender on display.

Guard – Breon Pass

Sophomore guard Breon Pass will get more looks off the bench this season than he did a year ago, where he only averaged 8.8 minutes per game. While negative in both offensive and defensive box plus/minus in that time last season, Pass provides additional depth at the position and has an extremely high motor on the court. As a sophomore, there’s plenty of time to see his game make a significant jump as well.

Forward – Ernest Ross

NC State’s lineup this season will likely remain nine-deep for the most part, with the exception of sophomore forward Ernest Ross potentially making a case to expand that rotation to 10. Ross saw 7.1 minutes per game in 14 games played last season but couldn’t manage to reflect much effort in the box score during that time, despite posting a slightly above-average defensive rating. Standing at 6-foot-9-inches, 195 pounds, he provides valuable depth at the four spot should Keatts decide nobody ahead of him is getting it done on a given night.

Guard – LJ Thomas

Freshman guard LJ Thomas is an interesting prospect, labeled as a four-star recruit by ESPN and the third-best in the state. Keatts has struggled to effectively incorporate younger guards into the lineup in recent years, with the exception of Smith, but Thomas’ physicality on both sides of the ball gives him a unique proposition at guard.