It’s been a long time since Syracuse has had reliable play from its bigs. Last season Marek Dolezaj became a reliable option for the Orange. Throughout the year, he averaged over 10 points to go along with 6.4 rebounds per game.
There were games where he was a bigger threat however. In SU’s last two games, Dolezaj averaged 15 points. But in the three games prior, he scored just six points in each contest. In his senior season, SU will need him to be a reliable scorer. By this point, he’s too experienced, and too important to have games where he’s not a factor on the scoreboard. Dolezaj has also expanded his range, developing a reliable midrange jumper.
Bourama Sidibe also improved last season, and needs to continue to do so in his senior year. In the last five games of the season, something seemed to change for Sidibe. He started to appear more confident in the paint, calling for the ball when he had a mismatch. In that late-season run, he averaged almost 11 points, nearly double his contribution throughout the season. He is in a great position to continue his strong play from a season ago.
But this season, Syracuse also has bigs in its rotation that could make an impact. Jesse Edwards had a solid freshman season, and another year in Syracuse’s weight training program will be beneficial.
While Edwards played less than 150 minutes last season, he gave Syracuse a suitable replacement when Sidibe needed a breather. This season, if Sidibe struggles or SU tries to space the floor, Edwards may be called upon. He showed off his jumper a season ago, and it will be interesting to see how he has developed throughout the offseason.
Needless to mention Quincy Guerrier who should play a good majority of minutes at power forward, a couple of wildcards, John Bol Ajak and Frank Anselem could also see playing time. Anselem is a highly anticipated freshman that could make an early impact. Bol Ajak redshirted last season, but could help the Orange space the floor with his range.
