Day to day. These are the three words that have been at the forefront of SU fans’ minds for the past month. If you’ve been living under a rock, freshman forward Donnie Freeman has been out of action since January 4th with a leg injury. Even though it’s been over a month, coach Autry continues to say that Freeman is day-to-day. But here’s the thing: if Freeman were to not return for the rest of the season (which isn’t that long,) will we ever see him in orange again?
It’s no secret that the former five-star came to Syracuse with NBA aspirations. Before the season began, Freeman was projected to be a late first-round pick in the upcoming draft in June. Donnie’s college career hasn’t really met the expectations of what some expected, averaging 13.4 points per game, just under eight rebounds, and one assist. Do those numbers scream top-round worthy? That’s for debate, but the freshman not seeing the court in a month is certainly telling.
So there are three options on what could happen in the offseason: Donnie returns, Donnie goes to the draft, or Donnie enters the transfer portal. As unfortunate as it is, 2024-25 under Adrian Autry has been extremely disappointing, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Freeman find better opportunities elsewhere. The most likely outcome of this saga is probably a Judah Mintz situation from 2023, where Freeman declares for the draft but retains eligibility in case it doesn’t go well, which is certainly shaping up to be the case.
You would hope that adding two high-level prospects like Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White would convince Freeman to stay, but you never know in this new world of NIL in college athletics. Either way, coach Autry said a decision will be made in the coming days about Freeman’s status for the rest of 2025, but it would not shock me if we’ve seen the last of what was supposed to be the second coming of Carmelo Anthony for the Orange.
