In the new era of college basketball, there’s no longer just graduates and incoming freshmen to consider when evaluating a roster in the offseason. In all likelihood, most teams will both lose and gain several players through the transfer portal. While it’s impossible to predict who will leave and who will stay, there’s still two very clear needs for Syracuse in the transfer portal.
Shooters
Syracuse simply doesn’t have enough spot-up shooters. The Orange have plenty of guys that can penetrate and get to the rack – Judah Mintz, JJ Starling, Quadir Copeland, Chance Westry – so even if one of those players leaves, there’s still enough of that talent. The missing piece is true shooting. Chris Bell can hit threes like nobody’s business when he’s hot, but he’s still streaky. Beyond that, there’s no one to kick out to.
Adding shooters really opens up the offense. It gives room for Copeland and Starling to work on isolation offense. It provides another option on pick and rolls. It gives Brown room to operate in the paint. You can never have enough shooting on a team, so Syracuse shouldn’t just get one in the transfer portal, they should get multiple.
A Center
Are there a ton of centers on Syracuse’s roster? Yes. Are the Orange in a good spot at the position going into next season? No.
Maliq Brown has been solid, but he’s better as a forward. Incoming freshman Donnie Freeman is also a natural forward.
In terms of actual centers, Naheem McLeod provides size, but wasn’t a true threat on offense and his speed can be a liability on defense. Peter Carey and William Patterson still need work. Mounir Hima walked on Senior Day this year, so he’s likely not coming back.
That’s six names that have been mentioned. All of them are either not a true center or not good enough to start. If Syracuse could hit the transfer portal and find an option with decent size, speed, and rebounding, that would be transformational for the roster.
