Alan Griffin transferred to Syracuse for a shot at stardom. And he’s got a great opportunity to lead to Orange. Buddy Boeheim and Joe Girard will once again have huge roles on offense. But on defense, both will likely struggle once again.
With Boeheim and Girard spacing the floor and providing knock-down shooting options, Griffin has an opportunity to expand his offensive game. At Illinois, he purely served as a knockdown shooter. Now he has a chance to show he can score from anywhere on the court.
Griffin has massive shoes to fill, following the decision to turn pro by Elijah Hughes. While he won’t be fully expected to pour on the same output as Hughes night in and night out, SU needs Griffin to average 15 points. If that doesn’t happen, it could be a long season for the Orange.
Last season, Griffin hit almost 42% of his threes. That shooting percentage could very easily fall due to an increased role. Head coach Jim Boeheim will likely play Griffin 35 minutes per game, like he does most of his starters. While that’s a great opportunity for the Ossining, New York native to show his true value, that’s still a lot of minutes to log. For shooters, legs tire, and shots become heavier to hoist up.
This is especially true for players who aren’t used to the workload Boeheim demands from his stars. But Griffin has had a full offseason to prepare for his Syracuse tenure. Now, with basketball activities being paused due to Boeheim testing positive for COVID-19, that could also affect Griffin in the beginning of the season.
Syracuse’s new 6-foot-5 wing success goes hand in hand with SU’s this season. All indications seem to be that he is well prepared for the challenge. In just a few days, it will be time for him to step out on the floor, and show just how good he can be.
