As we wait for tonight’s season opener, we predict who we think will lead the Orange in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks, steals and 3s.
Who will lead Syracuse in scoring in 25-26?
Kevin: Donnie Freeman
(16.9). I think this is the year Freeman takes a step forward offensively. With more balance on the perimeter, it’s Freeman who gets more shots at the rim and in transition to up his scoring.
Sam: JJ Starling. The best case scenario for the Orange is Freeman leading the team in scoring and Starling taking more of a backseat. However, I’m not confident in that happening, and I think Starling will still be the heartbeat of the offense for the most part.
Dom: Starling (18.4). Pairing Naithan George with Starling is going to give the latter the best pure playmaker he’s ever played for, and I’d expect his efficiency to be a career-best. That said, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Freeman and/or George are only a few points behind him in the stat sheet.
Szuba: Starling (17.0) should lead this team in scoring but I wouldn’t be surprised if his 2024-25 average dipped from 17.8 points per game. What’s more telling will be the types of shots he’ll get this year as well as the shooting percentages. Starling took 31.8% of Syracuse’s total shots last year, mostly out of necessity. Only 41 players in the country took more of their team’s total shots. With more offensive firepower surrounding him this season and a proven point guard, Starling should get better looks without managing the heavy burden of generating offense and carrying so much pressure to score. One would think the shooting percentages of 40.7% from the field and 26.8% from three would rise.
Who will lead Syracuse in rebounding in 25-26?
Kevin: Donnie Freeman (8.3). Freeman showed last season that he’s got a great knack at getting defensive rebounds. Would be nice to see him hitting the offensive glass more this year, but I think he’ll be one of the top rebounders in the ACC.
Sam: Donnie Freeman. He has the clearest path to the most minutes of anybody in the frontcourt, and his defensive rebounding numbers were off the charts last season.
Dom: Freeman (7.8). Getting the most minutes of anyone in the frontcourt, will have the height advantage at most nights at the four and could get more time around the basket playing at the five.
Szuba: Freeman (9.6). We forget Freeman was averaging 7.9 rebounds per game as a freshman in just 25.4 minutes (or 12.4 per 40). He’s a strong defensive rebounder and often clears the glass grabbing the ball at the apex of his vertical. He added strength to his frame and appears much stronger this season. Without a low-post center I’d think that creates more room for Freeman to get on the offensive glass and improve his 1.1 offensive rebound average from last year.
Who will lead Syracuse in assists in 25-26?
Kevin: Naithan George (7.4) I suspect that George will lead the Orange in minutes played and the offense will definitely run through him. If Syracuse can get out and run more he could drop a lot of dimes.
Sam: Naithan George. If George doesn’t lead the team in assists, something went horribly wrong. Like Kingz for shooting, George was brought in for his playmaking prowess to generate easy looks for others.
Dom: George (6.6). I think he’s the clear favorite, but Syracuse does have some depth guards who can do something with the ball in their hands, capping him at under seven per game.
Szuba: George (6.9). If he led the entire league in assists last season at Georgia Tech, it’s hard to think he would not lead Syracuse in assists.
Who will lead Syracuse in blocked shots in 25-26?
Kevin: William Kyle (2.3) Not only is Kyle a great athlete, but the Syracuse perimeter defense looks worrisome again meaning opponents will be getting to the rim where Kyle will be lurking.
Sam: William Kyle. Kyle is extremely explosive off the ground and will likely play the most minutes at the center spot. That’s a good formula for a high block rate, especially considering he was targeted by the staff with rim protection at top of mind.
Dom: Kyle (1.3). Despite the smaller height for a center, he’s easily the best pure shot blocker on the team. That said, my dark-horse picks for this category are Freeman and Sadiq White Jr.
Szuba: White (1.8). Give me Sadiq on this one. He had three blocks in limited minutes from the Pace exhibition. I imagine many of his blocks coming at the rim from weak side help.
Who will lead Syracuse in steals in 25-26?
Kevin: Saadiq White (1.9) Great defensive instincts combined with his wingspan means I expect White to be picking ball handlers and grabbing errant passes.
Sam: Sadiq White: George and Starling may be guarding the point-of-attack more, but neither of them is aggressive in terms of going for steals in the way that White will be on and off the ball.
Dom: George (1.3). Going to have the most on-ball reps of any of the guards. Averaged 1.1 per game in under 35.6 minutes a contest.
Szuba: White (1.5). Hard to keep a guy down who wants to defend.
Who will lead Syracuse in 3 pointers (total) in 25-26?
Kevin: Nate Kingz (77) Kingz was brought in to make shots and I think he’ll be the Orange’s most consistent deep threat. It will be interesting to see if Syracuse designs more looks for him or if he’s just going to be camped out on the perimeter. Either way I think he’ll be over 40% for the season.
Sam: Nate Kingz. It’s hard to imagine anybody else leading the team in made threes barring an injury. Even with his slump and minutes inconsistencies, Chris Bell led the Orange in made threes last year, and Kingz is the most direct replacement as the off-ball shooter.
Dom: Kingz (68). Went 58/130 overall last year, or 44.6% on over four attempts per game. Prediction: the efficiency drops down closer to 40%, but the volume bumps up to six threes attempted per contest. In terms of balance between taking them and making them, he’s got the best combination on the team.
Szuba: Kingz (68). Best shooter on the roster. Syracuse should set him up with more than 4.2 three attempts per game. What’s likable about Kingz is he’s not necessarily coming in hunting his own shots as much as he’s looking for good shots. When asked about his shooting at media day he spoke in terms of playing within the team’s offense.
“Playing the game the right way in terms of looking for the best shot. If it’s not mine,” Kingz said, “I’m going to try to find someone else.”
His shot selection and 44.6% from three last season makes much more sense given he’s thinking about the game in that way. But something tells me we’re going to be calling for Kingz to get more shots than he’s going to get.
