Following the NC State men’s basketball team’s thrashing of Virginia over the weekend, one thing became clear, as if it wasn’t already: freshman guard Terquavion Smith is a special talent.

There was plenty of hype surrounding Smith entering his time at NC State, but it still didn’t encapsulate what the guard was capable of. Smith has been a day-one bucket-getter, averaging over 23 points per game in high school and recording 33 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in his team’s state title game, where his performance mattered the most.

Before the season, Technician wrote, while expectations were to be relatively low for this NC State men’s basketball team, this is some of the most talent head coach Kevin Keatts has rostered. Between Smith and redshirt sophomore guard Dereon Seabron, the team has at least two certain future NBA players on its roster. Senior forward Jericole Hellems has some professional optics and redshirt junior forward Manny Bates could make a huge jump whenever he returns to play.

And while much of the focus has been centered on Seabron, and rightfully so, Smith is someone that is flying under the radar in a sense. Smith isn’t necessarily underrated, but his game deserves as much credit as it can get.

In order to emphasize just how impactful Smith’s 14.9-point-per-game freshman season has been, consider the fact that the only other freshman to score 14 or more points per game in the last 10 years is Dennis Smith Jr. in 2016-17. Before that? J.J. Hickson in the 2007-08 season. Both of those guys went on to be first-round picks in the NBA Draft.

Smith is already garnering some attention from scouts, but before we delve into Smith’s strengths, it’s important to look at what he still needs to improve and what will likely be the next evolution of his game.

First of all, there’s no denying that Smith is tiny in terms of his frame. The guard weighs 160 pounds, at least 10 less than any other guard on the roster despite being several inches taller in most cases. In order to get to the next level, he’s going to need to bulk up. This hasn’t been much of an issue in college play but in the NBA, he would be extremely small to play anywhere on the wing, and he hasn’t shown nearly enough playmaking ability to be considered a point.

Perhaps the most stunning aspect of Smith, however, is the fact that he isn’t intimidated by his own size, even in the slightest. The Wolfpack faithful is likely familiar with Smith’s huge dunk against Virginia, but there were several other times where Smith either pulled up in iso moments or drove it straight to the rim.

Obviously, the facet of Smith’s game that the Wolfpack faithful loves the most is his fearlessness — whether that’s taking big 3s or the aforementioned drives to the rim — the kid has no shortage of confidence. But the numbers especially back that up. Nearly 60% of all of Smith’s field-goal attempts are 3-pointers and he’s connecting at a 36.2% clip.

“I call him ‘The Microwave,’” said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski after NC State’s loss to the Blue Devils on Jan. 15. “I haven’t seen everyone in the league, but from the teams I’ve seen, there’s not another guy like him. … Every time he gets it, he scares you.”

If Seabron winds up declaring for and committing to the 2022 NBA Draft, Smith will likely stay behind as the primary bucket-getter. With Hellems set to graduate and Bates’ future uncertain, Smith could very well take upward of 20 shots per game next season, an archetype of player NC State hasn’t seen in some time.

But another particularly underrated aspect of Smith’s game is his defense in the backcourt. While he’s often plugged at the one-guard spot, that’s a position in which he’s able to take advantage of several mismatches. Look no further than his matchup against Virginia’s Kihei Clark. Smith came flying seemingly out of nowhere for a highlight-reel block that led to a Virginia turnover and further contributed to NC State’s big run.

But it wasn’t just his block, Smith used his slim physique to squeeze between two offensive players and disrupt a play, breaking up a play between Clark and guard Kody Stattmann and getting the steal. Smith averages 1.4 steals per game, which is third on the team but is just 0.2 away from being the team leader.

His other steal in the Virginia game came on Clark, anticipating the pass and snatching the ball, then getting it down the court to Seabron for a clean assist. It’s impossible to ignore just how active Smith’s hands are as he makes defensive play after defensive play. While junior guard Casey Morsell and freshman guard Breon Pass are the Pack’s two best backcourt defenders, don’t sleep on Smith.

Though Smith didn’t crack 247sports.com’s top 25 prospect list for NC State all time, make no mistake: Smith is one of the most talented players to walk through NC State’s doors.

“I would say my confidence is at the same level all the time,” Smith said after the win against Virginia Tech on Jan. 4. “Ain’t nothing changes my confidence, it’s always gonna be through the roof.”

The next opportunity to catch Smith in action is on Wednesday, Jan. 26 on the road against Notre Dame. That game will start at 9 p.m. and can be broadcast on Raleigh Sports Network.