Syracuse forward James Southerland has played three games since returning from his six-game absence for an eligibility issue, and already we can see roles changing for the Orange’s other players from what they were during the previous six games. Southerland’s presence on the floor is important for Syracuse, and he will undoubtedly be an integral part of the Orange’s success down the stretch, so how has his return changed the roles of other players:
Michael Carter-Williams – For many of the six games that Southerland missed, it was obvious that Carter-Williams felt compelled to take on more of the scoring responsibility. Part of it was the way the defense was playing him, but Carter-Williams was looking to score more and looking to pass less without the 13 points per game that came from Southerland. Now, Carter-Williams should feel less pressure to score and get back to being the pure point guard he was early in the season, especially now that he can keep an eye out for Syracuse’s best three-point threat and look to get Southerland the ball for open shots as much as possible.
Brandon Triche – Now that Southerland is back, Triche is no longer the Orange’s top three-point threat. Triche is a more than capable outside shooter, but he’s at his best when he’s being aggressive and driving to the basket. Outside of the Louisville game, Triche made just five of his 28 three-point attempts during Southerland’s absence. But with Southerland back, teams will less keyed in on Triche’s outside shooting, and he should get some better looks. With another scorer on the floor, especially one like Southerland that stretches the defense, there should be more room for Triche to operate and be aggressive offensively, which is always a good sign for the Orange.
Jerami Grant – Grant will be the player most affected by Southerland’s return. He will remain the starter, but the leash will be a lot shorter, and with two veteran forwards in front of him, Grant will have to earn his minutes and take advantage of the time he does get, as Jim Boeheim will likely go with his veterans in crunch time. Grant will also see his playing time diminish against teams that play zone defense against Syracuse, but with the way he played in Southerland’s absence, Grant won’t disappear from the rotation completely, and should log at least 10-12 minutes in most games.
C.J. Fair – Fair won’t be impacted too much by Southerland’s return; although, instead of playing 40 minutes a game out of necessity he’ll be closer to the 35-38 minutes per game range. Fair was a little more inclined to shoot from the perimeter without Southerland, and he made five of his 11 three-point attempts in that time, so if more opportunities to take that shot become available, Fair should feel confident taking them. More importantly, with the defense stretched out more on Southerland, the middle of the court should be a little more open, especially against zone defenses, and that will give Fair more opportunities to utilize his brilliant mid-range game a little more.
Trevor Cooney – Even though he hasn’t gotten the job done consistently yet, teams know that Cooney is a shooting threat from the perimeter. His playing time will vary from game to game heading down the stretch, but Boeheim has tried to give Cooney more opportunities, at least in the first half of games. In Southerland’s first two games back, he and Cooney entered the game off the bench at the same time, which could be an interesting lineup for the Orange. If Cooney can ever get on track, he and Southerland together could be a deadly lineup for Syracuse, especially with a point guard like Carter Williams that can find and get the ball to the open man. The need for Cooney to get going is a little less with Southerland back, but if he could, it would be a welcomed addition to Syracuse’s offensive arsenal.
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