Without Bourama Sidibe, who was injured a couple of weeks ago and is expected to be out for a couple more weeks, Syracuse has slotted Alan Griffin into the starting lineup. Griffin didn’t start the game, but after Sidibe was injured, Griffin played 37 minutes.
Once Sidibe returns, it seems likely that Griffin would stay in head coach Jim Boeheim’s starting lineup. Without Buddy Boeheim for a three-game stretch, led the team in scoring against Rider and Rutgers.
But with Griffin staying in the starting lineup, Joe Girard and Boeheim manning the guard spots, Marek Dolezaj likely slides back into his comfortable spot at power forward. That leaves Quincy Guerrier — who has been SU’s most efficient player — on the bench.
Guerrier seems like the logical choice to be the sixth man for Syracuse, but according to Kenpom, he has the best offensive rating of any SU player. He also boasts SU’s best effective field goal percentage, at 72.8%. That stat gives more boost to efficient three point shooting, which Guerrier has vastly improved in from last season. So far this year, Guerrier has drilled 5-11 threes, good for a nearly 46% clip.
With Sidibe back, Boeheim could potentially be forced to play Guerrier — so far the best player on the team — off the bench.
While Guerrier isn’t tasked with high usage rates every game, he consistently makes the most of his chances. He’s also SU’s best rebounder this season, grabbing over nine percent of rebounds on the offensive end, and nearly 19% on defense. Those numbers are both better than Dolezaj’s this season or last — but lower than Sidibe. Rebounding is the one area where Sidibe — at 6-foot-10 — is better than the smaller Guerrier.
Still, with Sidibe back on the court, Guerrier’s minutes are bound to diminish. He will likely still play 20-30 minutes a game, similar to how Boeheim is balancing his three guards. But for Syracuse’s most efficient player, his playing time should be going up — not down.
