Throughout the first few weeks of the offseason, I’ve made it very clear what I think Adrian Autry’s priorities should be in the portal. This team needed another star guard to put next to JJ Starling to even have a chance to be decent next season. The chatter has been that the Orange finally has the money to grab one. That was proved to be true earlier this week when the Nait George from Georgia Tech announced his commitment to the ‘Cuse.
The Canadian is going to be an interesting fit next to Starling, but no matter what it’s an improvement over Jaquan Carlos. Naithan George led the ACC in assists last season. That alone should be enough to get you excited. But in addition to that, George is a double-digit scorer and an efficient rebounder for his size. George is a pure hooper who has proven that he belongs at this level. As a two-year starter in the ACC, he’ll be one of the more experienced players on the roster next season.
But again, all that being said, the fit next to Starling is a big question mark. George isn’t a three-point shooter. SU’s backcourt will feature one guy who shoots 33% from deep and another who shot 26%. That isn’t necessarily a recipe for success. George gets the majority of his shots from the mid-range. He’s a smooth shooter but isn’t known for his efficiency as he takes a good amount of tough shots. Starling of course, is a slasher who has struggled to make shots and was under 70% from the free-throw line last year.
SU’s backcourt has a lot of talent, however, it’ll be interesting to see how it all fits together. George and Starling could work great together, but there’s also a reason to be concerned about the offense’s efficiency.
