It’s that simple for Syracuse: Give Naheem McLeod more minutes.
McLeod, Syracuse’s seldom-used 7-foot-4 big man, has only played in nine games this season. He transferred to the Orange from Florida State last year but his debut season with Syracuse was cut short after he underwent season-ending surgery on his right foot.
He struggled before his surgery last year, averaging just 3.9 points and 4.3 rebounds across 14 games as a starter, a level of production that fell well short of the high expectations fans had for him when his transfer was first announced.
That disappointment carried over into this season, where he didn’t debut for the Orange until a Nov. 21 game against the Texas Longhorns, logging 4 minutes while scoring 2 points, collecting a rebound and a block. McLeod had some brief cameos in between, but it wasn’t until Feb. 1 against the California Golden Bears that he got more than five minutes of playing time.
In his first real opportunity of the season, McLeod didn’t disappoint as the anchor of Syracuse’s 2-3 defensive zone, blocking a shot and contesting plenty of Cal’s drives to the basket. On the offensive end, the 7-footer scored on a hook shot and added three rebounds, dishing out an assist.
McLeod’s strong play against the Golden Bears convinced head coach Adrian Autry to give him real burn against the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils and projected first overall pick in the NBA draft Cooper Flagg. Against the second-best team in the country, McLeod looked comfortable across 22 minutes, scoring 10 points for just the second time in his career for the Orange.
His performance against the Blue Devils begs the question-why didn’t he play more against Boston College? McLeod played only five minutes in a gutsy 95-86 triple-overtime win for Syracuse, scoring two points and blocking two shots.
The 7-footer will never be a high-scoring big like the Orange’s starting center Eddie Lampkin, but there’s no reason why he shouldn’t have gotten more playing time after he proved himself against Duke. Lampkin played 49 minutes against Boston College, and while he was excellent, at least five of those minutes could have gone to McLeod.
As a senior, McLeod doesn’t project to be a long-term piece of Syracuse’s future, but with the Orange sitting at 10-13 and even an ACC tournament bid looking bleak, he should be able to play. His tenure with Syracuse hasn’t gone according to plan, but that’s no reason to have him glued to the bench after his best performance of the season.
