@Syracuse.Hoops Q&A Session 7
@Syracuse.Hoops Blog
Thank you for reading the blog! This week, I teamed up with @Everything.Cuse to give readers 2 different perspectives on numerous topics. We got lots of great questions this week. I encourage readers to read past blogs as many of your questions are answered in them. DM me on Instagram @Syracuse.Hoops on any feedback you have. Let me know how you likes the Q&A team up. I always love your feedback! Enjoy the blog and go Cuse!
Q&A- Session 7
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Q1: What aspect of Frank Howard's game is going to have to get better to start or become a good bench player?
-Via @rjoyce12
Everything.Cuse- First of all, Frank Howard is going to start this season, whether you like it or not. But he has struggled at times when we needed him to play well. That's no secret, but what most people forget is when he actually plays WELL. In those games, he used his shooting to get the defense to stay up and go over screens to open up the paint, where he is most comfortable. Against tougher opponents Frank’s shot became nonexistent, and that clogged up the paint which limited his playmaking abilities. In order for Frank to become a reliable starting point guard, his 3- Point shot has to become more consistent.
Syracuse.Hoops- The skill set I personally think Frank needs to improve upon is not even a basketball skill set, it's his mental toughness. I believe his poor start to his season, injury, losing the starting job, and all the hate got to him and he became less confident. His minutes and production declined and it took a toll on him. He went from 22.8 minutes a game down 10.7 the final 19 games. He admitted he struggled with this but said coaches continued to motivate him to work hard. He's a competitor and he has necessary skills to lead the Orange. Losing the starting job I hope humbled him and he's hungry to prove doubters wrong. If he can brush of the adversity I think a chip on his shoulder will only give him an edge.
Q2: What’s the worst and best Cuse will do?
-Via @aiden.owens
Everything.Cuse- After looking at the ACC Home/Away splits for this season and the non-conference schedule, there could be a wide range of Syracuse's record for this season. Which is understandable, because over half of Syracuse's projected rotation this season is unproven. But I think the best Syracuse could do this season is 21-10, going 10-3 in the non-conference and 11-7 in the ACC. The worst SU could do is 17-14, going 8-5 in the non-conference and 9-9 in the ACC.
Syracuse.Hoops- I see nothing wrong with the prediction above. The non conference really heats up from the end of November to mid December as Cuse faces Maryland, Kansas, UConn, and Georgetown. These 4 games will be crucial. If they can split Maryland and Kansas, (a power 5 conference win always looks good on the resumè) and split rivals UConn and Georgetown, they can afford a tune up loss against the rest of the weaker schedule putting them at 10-3. However given their recent struggles against UConn and Georgetown the past few years as well as general poor non conference performance they could lose all 4 of these games. As far as the ACC goes it is always so unpredictable. It's never easy playing Duke and Louisville on the road. However their non conference performance should give us a prediction on how they will fair in ACC play.
Q3: Who will be the top 3 players and their projected stats?
-Via @aiden.owens
Everything.Cuse- It's no secret that Syracuse will run their offense through Tyus Battle and Taurean Thompson, who were the only returning major contributors from last year’s team. But I actually think Taurean Thompson will be the team’s leading scorer, and here's why: Usage Rate. Usage Rate is used as an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor. Last season, Taurean Thompson’s USG% was 26.6%, Tyus Battle’s was 18.2%. That's a pretty high discrepancy, and I think Taurean will average 17 PPG, 9 RPG, and 2 BPG. Tyus will average 16 PPG, 4 RPG, and 2 SPG. The 3rd option on the team will be Geno Thorpe, and he will average 12 PPG, 3 RPG, and 3 APG.
Syracuse.Hoops- As stated above Tyus Battle and Taurean Thompson will lead the Orange night in and night out without a doubt. And I agree that Taurean Thompson will lead Cuse in scoring, but for different reasons. As great as USG% is it doesn't necessarily account for scoring success as it includes all kinds of stats both good and bad. If you look at Per 40 minutes, Taurean Thompson averaged 21 Points on 15 shots shooting 55%.. Tyus Battle averages 15 points on 11 shots at 43%. Taurean Thompson scores the ball more efficiently. Only once in the last 10 years has a center lead a Cuse team in scoring, maybe Taurean will be the 2nd. He will average 18 PPG, 9RPG 2APG. As impressive as Taurean’s numbers are, Tyus’s are very good as well. He will average 16 PPG 2 RPG and 2 APG. And I’ll agree with EC is saying Geno Thorpe as the third guy and 6th man with 12, 3 and 3.
Q4: Thoughts on Taurean Thompson’s potential?
-Via @owen.doorey
Everything.Cuse- Taurean Thompson may have the highest ceiling out of all of Syracuse’s big-men in team history. Yes, you read that correctly. Now I know that is a very bold statement, but many of Syracuse’s great big men (Derrick Coleman, Rony Seikaly, Arinze Onuaku, Rakeem Christmas) did not have Freshman campaigns as good as Thompson’s. Per 40 Minutes, Thompson was higher in every stat category (except RPG) than those other 4. Now I’m not saying that Taurean could become a legendary Syracuse big man, but if he stays on the floor more, (and we should expect that) he could become an All-ACC performer. And of course, the NBA will be calling if he has an All-ACC year, especially if he more consistently shows that he can expand his range to beyond the 3-PT line.
Syracuse.Hoops- Taurean Thompson definitely has immeasurable potential. Jim Boeheim even said Tauren Thompson is one of the most offensively gifted big men he's ever coached. He is mobile in the high post and has a great mid range game. Last year, Taurean averaged 9.2 PPG on only 17.9 minutes while shooting 55%. (Per 40 mins above). Imagine if his minutes doubled. He was a below average 3-point shooter only connecting on 18% but if he can improve this number to at least 30% it will add another dimension to his game which should scare defenders. Although he struggled on defense last year he said defense was a major focal point to improve on during the off-season. If he continues last year's success into a bigger role this year, he will thrive. Don't be surprised if you hear his name called by Adam Silver in June.
Q5: Why has Cuse recruiting been down the past few years? Why are we no longer getting the quality players like Pearl, Derrick Coleman, Billy Owens, Stevie Thompson, Carmelo, LeRon Ellis, Red Autry, Dion Waiters???
-Via @wtrdmd
Everything.Cuse- Let’s get this straight: Syracuse recruiting has not been “down”, nor will it be “down” for a long time. It’s just the fact that the recruiting landscape has changed since the 1980’s, when the top recruit’s main focus’ was not finding the best path to the NBA. Kentucky and Duke have found a niche in bringing the best high-school prospects and turning them into professionals. Syracuse is one level below the blue-bloods, which in turn gives us recruits a level below those schools. But believe me: Syracuse is fine. We’ve recently gotten 5-Stars such as Chris McCullough, Malachi Richardson, Tyus Battle and Darius Bazley. Also, if you are referring to this class, I assume you’ve never seen Oshae Brissett play, but he is the real deal. Like impact ACC-player real deal. So, if I were you, I’d stop giving Jimmy B crap about our recruiting and appreciate that SU now holds the 3rd-longest streak of 1st-Round draft picks in a row.
Syracuse.Hoops- Like EC said Cuse recruiting has not been “down” recently. College basketball is so different now. The “quality players” are looking to be put in the best position to make it to the NBA. People want to make money doing what they love and rightfully so. As result, this draws them to schools who are NBA factories, which Syracuse is not. People are so quick to judge a recruiting class based on how many top 10 players they get. It just simply doesn't work that way. Either 5 star or bust is too common a mentality. And that's not to say Cuse doesn't get these caliber players either. If Malachi stayed for a couple more years you would be including him in the players above. This years recruiting class is fantastic. Don't judge it based on a number fed to you by ESPN. Boeheim recruits players to fit a scheme, and the players in this class fit that scheme and can play at the ACC level.
Q6: What is your projected depth chart?
-Via @judahskywalker @wyattbagg @sean_degroat @coop5r @lukejax
Everything.Cuse- Similar to last season, Coach Boeheim has a lot of versatility in his lineup in regards to his starting lineup. So, during non-conference play we will likely see many different starting rotations rolled out. But I think it will start like this: Frank Howard, Tyus Battle, Matt Moyer, Oshae Brissett, and Taurean Thompson. I also think Geno Thorpe will be the first guy off the bench, playing major minutes. That leaves Howard Washington Jr., Marek Dolezaj, Bourama Sidibe, and Paschal Chukwu as the role players (Elijah Hughes cannot play this season due to NCAA transfer rules). By the time conference play comes, I think Howard Washington will get very few minutes (barring injury or bad play by players ahead of him), and one of either Sidibe or Chukwu will also be cut from the regular rotation.
Syracuse.Hoops- Well next year like last will hold a variety of starting lineups and distribution of minutes. This in part is due to youth and lack of experience playing together. Boeheim certainly has a lot to work with. To start the season from positions 1-5 will be Frank, Tyus, Oshae, Moyer, and Taurean respectively. Oshae and Moyer are interchangeable at each forward position but I believe Oshae is more capable of playing on the wing. At point guard, I don't think it would be the worst thing to start Geno over Frank. Geno has lots of experience playing on various teams and it will be less weight on the shoulders of Frank Howard. I think Frank could be a great 6th man, however I just don't see Boeheim sitting Frank nor would he want to. Tyus and Taurean obviously get the starting nod. Bench minutes will be very interesting. I don't see Howard Washington getting much time as he will benefit in learning under the 2 elders of the team. I think Sidibe won't get significant minutes either due to Chukwu's 2 years practicing under Boeheim. Finally, Marek Doležaj: The Slovakian that became known to most when he visited Cuse in May and committed shortly after, has impressed at the Fiba U-20 and should provide a spark of the bench for Cuse. That leaves an 8 man rotation which is pretty typical for Boeheim.
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Thank you for reading our Q&A! The questions sent in to both of us were great. Remember, if your question wasn’t answered, chances are it was already answered on a previous blog. If that’s the case, DM us and we can give you the link to our previous Q&A’s. DM us with feedback and let us know how you liked the collab with @Everything.Cuse. I’m sure we will do plenty more with him in the future. As always, thank you for supporting my account and the blogs!
Go Cuse!
-@Syracuse.Hoops
