What Darius Adams' Role Will Look Like at NC State

RALEIGH — When NC State hired Justin Gainey as the next men's basketball coach of the program, the expectation was that there would be a massive roster overhaul with so much outgoing production from seniors and players expected to transfer. That prediction turned out to be true, as the Wolfpack retained just two players and added a wide array of transfers in the weeks following Gainey's hiring.

One of those transfer additions was former McDonald's All-American guard Darius Adams, who played his freshman season at Maryland. Adams is the only Wolfpack transfer to play at a high-major program during the 2025-26 season so far, but his role will be very different in Raleigh than what he did with the Terrapins during his freshman year. What will things look like for the guard?

Positional depth and versatility

Maryland's messy roster construction and lack of guard talent forced Adams into a much larger role than he was ready for in his first collegiate season. While he showed flashes of the McDonald's All-American level he played at during high school, he struggled with consistency and couldn't put it all together in conference play. He averaged 10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists, while shooting 35.4% from the field and 24.8% from 3-point range.

The shooting numbers are particularly concerning, but he'll be in a completely different situation than he was with the Terrapins. The 6-foot-5 guard will almost certainly come off the bench behind the trio of Preston Edmead (Hofstra), Christian Hammond (Santa Clara) and returning sharpshooter Paul McNeil, the focal point of NC State's entire roster in the first year of the Gainey era.

Having a guard with range, smooth ball-handling and finishing ability and enough aptitude to run the offense in a pinch is a luxury that the Wolfpack will get with Adams, especially in a bench role similar to the one that Matt Able played under Will Wade last season in Raleigh. Freedom to play off and on the ball will be afforded to Adams, especially in lineups with Edmead and McNeil.

Gainey will be banking on Adams developing as a defender. If that part of the rising sophomore's game comes around, he'll be a more lucrative option for the Wolfpack, potentially pushing for Hammond's spot in the starting five if Adams impresses during the preseason enough. That battle will unfold in the coming months, but the Pack has some serious versatility in Adams, no matter how he is deployed in his first season in Raleigh.

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