Transfer season is in full swing, and NC State men’s basketball finally added its first athlete to the roster after losing three at the end of the season. While the addition is a welcomed one, head coach Kevin Keatts and company still have plenty of work to do in order to complete a successful rebuild. 

Former Butler guard Jayden Taylor announced his commitment to running with the Wolfpack on Tuesday, April 11, and brings size, athleticism and skill with him to Raleigh. Landing a few more high-profile targets is still in the mix for NC State, however, because the Pack is still in desperate need of talent to compete for a spot in March.

Jayden Taylor — Butler, Guard (Committed)

The first domino has fallen for NC State men’s basketball in the transfer portal, landing a commitment from Taylor. Despite missing out on a couple other prospects, the Wolfpack has plenty to be excited about with Taylor joining a rebuilding guard room.

The true sophomore has spent the entirety of his collegiate career at Butler up to this point, going as far as leading the team in scoring during its 2022-23 campaign. He saw a massive jump in play between his first and second season, and looks to keep that trend going in his first year with the Wolfpack. Making the commitment even more promising, Taylor ended his last eight regular-season games with Butler averaging 17.6 points per contest.

Standing at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, Taylor brings necessary size to a lineup that’s lost a handful of it. With the likes of Terquavion Smith, Jack Clark, Greg Gantt and Ebenzer Duwouna all headed out of the program via the NBA Draft or transfer portal, replacing their length is a top priority for Keatts. Taylor’s commitment is a great start, but there’s still work to be done to fill out the roster with athletes that can compliment Keatts’ brand of basketball.

Coming off a season where he averaged 12.9 points, 1.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds a game while shooting 40.8% from the floor in 30.2 minutes a night, Taylor managed to get his in a lackluster Butler offensive attack. The freshly minted member of the Wolfpack also has a knack for defending the perimeter, averaging 1.3 steals per game and posting a 1.6 defensive box plus/minus in 2022-23.

Taylor excels at putting the ball to the hardwood and getting to his spot. In a Keatts offense, this is one of the biggest asks for guards in the program, and Taylor should slot in with no issues. Getting out in transition is another area the Butler transfer is strong in, and another area essential to the success of NC State men’s basketball.

Taylor could deal to improve in both 3-point shooting and limiting turnovers, but with multiple years of eligibility remaining, there’s plenty of time for him to step his game up a notch — especially in a system that favors its guards. All in all, Taylor is an extremely exciting addition to the roster and a name to keep an eye on for All-ACC honors next season.

El Ellis — Louisville, Guard (Undecided)

The Durham, North Carolina native made strides in his senior season at Louisville despite a pitiful team performance. Starting in all 32 games for the Cardinals, Ellis led the team with 17.7 points and 4.4 assists per game, clocking in a hefty 36 minutes per outing. Proving he can compete in the conference already, stepping into a role with NC State would be business as usual for the former four-star recruit if he decides to return to school after entering the NBA Draft process.

Falling just four votes shy of a bid to the All-ACC third team, Ellis is a seasoned scorer who thrives with the ball in his hands. Losing the likes of Jarkel Joiner and Smith leaves a massive gap to fill in the ball-handling department, with the guards still on the roster — freshman LJ Thomas and sophomore Breon Pass — not proving to be explosive off the dribble. Importing a talent of Ellis’ degree would immediately improve the outlook at the guard position for NC State in 2023-24.

Ellis scores in bunches, blows past his defender with a high level of speed and agility and makes the most of his 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame on both ends of the court. Averaging 41% shooting from the floor on 14.4 field goal attempts per game his senior year, the potential graduate transfer has shades of Smith to his game — they’ve both never seen a shot they don’t like. Granted, Ellis has an excuse for that — consistently being asked to do any and everything for a struggling Louisville offense.

Having a player of similar volatility to Smith is sure to create a divide among Wolfpack faithful, but head coach Kevin Keatts has proven his stance on the matter time and time again — he’s going to give the green light to his best players. Ellis would slot in as the best scorer on the roster, and has a chance to return closer to home to close out his collegiate career. He also knows a thing or two about beating Clemson, something the Wolfpack should be eager to jump at.

DJ Horne — Arizona State, Guard (Undecided)

Sticking with the theme of North Carolina natives returning to their home state for the remainder of their college playing days, Horne is an interesting case as a transfer portal veteran. Beginning his career with Illinois State and graduating to playing in the PAC-12 under Bobby Hurley at Arizona State, Horne is no stranger to making the tough decisions. The Raleigh native could be yet another guard to see a massive improvement to their individual stats within Keatts’ offense.

In his most recent season with the Sun Devils, the 6-foot-1, 175 pound guard averaged 12.5 points, 2.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game in 29.7 minutes of floor time a night. Horne excels at attacking in a ball screen offense, finding the space he needs to comfortably get a shot up and seeing the floor as the play develops. In that setting, his game is eerily similar to that of Joiner coming out of Ole Miss. 

The significant disparity between the two, however, is offensive efficiency, with Horne finishing the 2022-23 season at 36.9% shooting from the floor and 35.5% from downtown. With two years of eligibility remaining and Keatts’ resume for guard development, a new system could be all he needs to get those efficiency numbers up to par.

Horne could fill the role of secondary ball handler well if NC State can land a guard like Ellis alongside him. Using his experience and confidence as a spot-up shooter and ball-screen handler to fit the requirements of Keatts’ style of play would be a massive boost to the guard issue left behind by Joiner and Smith’s departure.

Only time will tell what NC State’s roster will shape out to look like for the 2023-24 season. Even if Ellis and Horne don’t end up with the red-and-white, there’s such an abundance of talent searching for new homes that numbers certainly won’t be an issue. After an abysmal 2021-22 campaign, Keatts found the perfect cast to pull the Pack back into the national spotlight and there’s no reason to believe he can’t do it again.