Wake Forest Demon Deacons

2023-2024 Result: 21-14 record (11-9 ACC), NIT Appearance

Projected Starting Lineup

Head Coach: Steve Forbes (5th season)

Guard: Ty-Laur Johnson (SO)

Guard: Hunter Sallis (SR)

Guard: Cameron Hildreth (SR)

Forward: Tre’Von Spillers (SR)

Center: Efton Reid (SR)

Key Additions

Ty-Laur Johnson (Louisville)

Tre’Von Spillers (Appalachian State)

Omaha Biliew (Iowa State)

Davin Cosby (Alabama)

Juke Harris (4-star recruit)

Key Losses

Andrew Carr

Jao Ituka

Damari Monsanto

Kevin Miller

Matthew Marsh

Retaining Hunter Sallis and Cameron Hildreth was very important for this Demon Deacons offense from a shotmaking standpoint (24th Adjusted Offense last season, per Torvik). Coach Steve Forbes has made sure his rosters have included floor spacers and off the dribble shot makers, so it was imperative to get these 2 guards back on campus. Forbes also brought in Ty-Laur Johnson from Louisville, who has the upside to be a solid playmaker with some burst at the point guard spot. While the offense should be fine, there could be a bit of a floor spacing issue depending on Forbes’ lineup rotation. Tre’Von Spillers and Efton Reid are projected to be the starting frontcourt this upcoming season and neither one of them have much shooting upside (Spillers 0-1 from 3, Reid 9-32 from 3 last season). Spillers and Reid also don’t have much playmaking upside, so they will need to lean into their offensive rebounding ability to create their value. Forbes led teams have never emphasized getting to the offensive glass while at Wake Forest, but he may need to for his frontcourts sake. The Demon Deacons will have the option to play small ball with some capable shooters off the bench (Davin Cosby, Juke Harris, and Parker Friedrichsen), but this will certainly plummet their defensive rating.

The defensive side of the floor has been the more questionable side in the Steve Forbes era, but the improved frontcourt depth may give this team more balance than past years. The combination of Reid, Spillers and Omaha Biliew provide a solid trio that certainly beats last year's frontcourt options defensively. There was a drop off on defense when Efton Reid came off the floor last season, but Spillers is more than capable of playing the center position in short spurts. Ty-Laur Johnson has also displayed an ability to be a defensive playmaker (3.3% stl rate), so he is an upgrade over last year’s point guard Kevin Miller. Outside of Johnson, the perimeter defense is a weakness, but the frontcourt should be good enough to cover up those holes on the wing and make this defense a better unit than a year ago (69th Adjusted Defense per Torvik).

Wake Forest has the balance of offense and defense to make them a contender in the ACC, but there may be a small talent gap between them and the likes of Duke and North Carolina that make the Demon Deacons fall just a tier below those 2. The lack of a true weakness makes this team more likely to make a run at an NCAA Tournament berth that they just missed out on last season, but they will need to reach their absolute ceiling offensively to make them a national contender, which I do not believe will happen in 2024-2025.