It’s only April, but Syracuse men’s basketball has gathered a lot of buzz on social media for the moves its made in the transfer portal so far. Bringing in Nate Kingz from Oregon State and Naithan George from Georgia Tech marks that the Orange aren’t to be messed with and are possibly on the cusp of the bubble for next year’s NCAA Tournament according to some. But the biggest additions for SU might just be those of two four-star freshmen Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White. But as things currently stand, does it really make sense for them to come in and make an immediate impact?
When it comes to something like this, you have to look at a precedented level of talent. Luckily for SU fans, they just went through this same exact thing with Donnie Freeman last season. In the first five games of 2024-25, Freeman averaged just under ten points per game, but struggled with the little things when it came to acclimating to college ball. Assuming Freeman as a freshman and Anthony and White are on similar levels, it’s been seen that throwing the freshmen into the fire isn’t the worst idea.
But with the way the roster is currently constructed, it appears that Anthony and White serve better as bench options, at least in the beginning. It’s clear that Adrian Autry and his staff have emphasized athleticism and “small ball” with the moves they’ve made, especially at the center position with guys like William Kyle III and Ibrahim Souare. Right now, the most likely starting lineup probably looks like George at the one as the true playmaker, JJ Starling at the two, which better suits his play style, the sharpshooting Nate Kingz at the three (a little small at 6’5”, but definitely plays in a way that it wouldn’t matter,) Freeman at the four, and one of Kyle and Souare at the five at just 6’9”.
Anthony and White could very easily slide into those spots with strong play, but it seems like they would have to earn it first. If Syracuse wants to compete and possibly fight to make the NCAA Tournament next year, experience in those non-conference games isn’t the worst idea.
