Now that Jerami Grant has followed Tyler Ennis’ lead and declared for the NBA Draft, we now know for sure who will be suiting up for Jim Boeheim’s team next season and who won’t. Now we can begin the process of figuring out who will play where and what should be expected of each player on the Syracuse roster. So, what exactly will the 2014-2015 Orange look like?
At point guard, incoming freshman Kaleb Joseph should step into the starting spot that’s been vacated by Ennis. Joseph is a different kind of player than Ennis, as he’s more of a scoring point guard than someone who will get other players involved, which could be a problem considering Syracuse’s lack of players who can create their own shot.
Of course, in some ways Joseph’s aggressiveness will be a welcome change of pace from Ennis, although Joseph showing the same poise and intelligence that Ennis showed during his freshman season is doubtful. That means Michael Gbinije should log meaningful minutes as the backup point guard.
Trevor Cooney will provide the Syracuse backcourt with some stability by returning as the team’s starting shooting guard. However, after his shooting slump over the final two months of the season, Syracuse may not be able to look at Cooney as a dependable scorer, even though he’ll be the team’s leading returning scorer.
The Orange will need to get meaningful minutes at the two-guard spot from either Ron Patterson or B.J. Johnson, two players who played sparingly as freshmen this season. Gbinije will have to play more point than two-guard next year, and Cooney is too streaky of a shooter to handle the position himself, so Syracuse needs one of its younger players to step up and play a bigger role in the backcourt.
The two forward spots vacated by Grant and C.J. Fair are the biggest question marks heading into next season. Gbinije would be a good fit at one of the forward spots, but if he has to play significant minutes as either of the guard spots he won’t be able to play many minutes at forward.
Johnson is another option, but he has to gain a lot of strength and muscle during the offseason if he’s going to play on the backline of the 2-3 zone. That leaves Tyler Roberson and incoming freshman Chris McCullough as the likely starters at the forward spots. Both are loaded with talent and potential, even to the point of being able to leave early for the NBA, but whether either of them will enter next season ready to play a prominent role is uncertain.
At the center position, Syracuse is going to need Rakeem Christmas to play a lot of minutes and give them consistent production at both ends of the floor. After missing so much time with injury during the past two seasons, there’s no guarantee that DaJuan Coleman will be able to give the Orange quality minutes next season, especially since his development has been stunted by not being able to practice or play for long stretches of time. If Coleman can’t get back on the court, the backup center will be redshirt freshman Chinonso Obokoh, but whether he’ll be ready to play meaningful minutes is another uncertainty the Orange will face next season, which could force McCullough to see time at center behind Christmas.
If nothing else, Boeheim’s bench should be a lot deeper next season than it was this past season, as Syracuse may need all 10 scholarship players to become regular contributors in order to stay competitive at the top of the ACC. With Ennis and Grant both leaving early, the Orange will have a lot of new faces in new places next season, and while the talent on the roster gives Syracuse a lot of potential, there is also a lot of uncertainty looking ahead to the 2014-2015 season.
Bryan Zarpentine covers Syracuse Orange football and basketball for ChatSports.com. You can follow him on twitter @BZarp and @ChatSyracuse. Also, add him to your network on Google, and keep up with Syracuse at ChatSports.com/Syracuse-Orange.
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