Terquavion Smith is coming back to NC State

We were do some good news after yesterday, and this morning we got it in the form of Terquavion Smith announcing his return to NC State. Smith did nothing but improve his stock throughout the NBA Draft process and I thought he would be staying in as a result.

But Smith told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony that the money can wait and that he’d like to spend another year as a college kid:

“My agent explained to me that teams as high as the late teens, through the rest of the first round, all have me ranked as a first-round talent. It’s exciting to hear that. But I told him I have more work to do. I like school and my college in particular. Remember, my last two years have been so strange, thanks to the pandemic. I just want one more season to get everything right and just be a college student.”

And without question, he’ll be able to move from the back half of the first round into a better spot with another strong year at State—maybe make himself a lock top-10 pick or higher. He will be the lead dog in the offense next year and have every opportunity to showcase what he can do.

Now we have some serious reason to think that 2022-23 might not be so bad. Definitely the team will be improved, and between Smith, Jarkel Joiner at the point, and DJ Burns in the post, the Wolfpack has an excellent foundation offensively. I’m looking forward to seeing what this group looks like on the floor, and that’s not something I would have said a couple of months ago.

Welcome back, Baby T.