Syracuse Men’s Basketball Season Preview: Players to watch, and the most important things for Syracuse to improve from last year

As Syracuse came off the 2024/2025 season with a 14-19 record and were one of the worst teams in the ACC regular season in terms of conference record, it was clear one thing needed to happen to the Syracuse basketball program: they needed change, and they needed change fast. 

There were tons of great targets in the transfer portal, so Orange head coach Adrian Autry got to work. He brought in some really good players, including William Kyle III, a forward who transferred from UCLA, Naithan George, who was considered a top portal target, a guard from Georgia Tech. Syracuse also brought in one of George’s teammates who was a forward in Ibrahim Souare, and Cuse also signed Tyler Betsey, a forward who transferred from Cincinnati, and Bryce Zephir, a graduate student who transferred from Montana State. Syracuse also brought in freshmen, including the son of Orange great Carmelo Anthony, Kiyan Anthony, and also brought in Aaron Womack, Luke Fenell, and Sadiq White Jr, who Syracuse hoops fans have high hopes for. With all of these players, and returning players like Donnie Freeman and J.J. Starling, here’s what to expect from the Orange this season when November rolls around.

Syracuse Projected Starting Lineup:

PG: Naithan George

SG: J.J. Starling

SF: Nate Kingz

PF:Donnie Freeman

C: William Kyle III

Players To Watch

Donnie Freeman:Freeman only played 14 games due to injuries, but I believe he is going to have a way better season. In 2024/25, Freeman averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game last year. With a better team around him, Freeman is destined for a standout season.

J.J. Starling: Starling was the main piece to the Orange’s success last year, and I think he does it again. Starling averaged 18 points and 3 assists per game last year while starting 24 of Syracuse’s 28 games. I feel like Starling will have about the same stats as last year, if not better.

William Kyle III: Kyle is the piece that Syracuse needed: A center who can play good defense. While playing off the bench, he scored 3 points and 2 rebounds per game. I think Kyle will be so much better, as he will get the starting time he deserves.

What Needs To Be Improved?

Defense: It is this simple. This team was 158th in Division 1 in average points per game, with 75. They need players like Kyle and Nate Kingz to play hard defense to beat harder teams. There will be teams that have really good offenses, including Duke with Cameron Boozer and Louisville with Mikel Brown Jr, so Autry needs to play shutdown against teams like those.

Three Point Shooting: Syracuse needs to work on being consistent from beyond the arc. Syracuse averaged 6 3PM/Game, and they ranked 305th in Division One, which is low. I think Starling needs to step up his three point game, as well as Autry having the fundamentals to a good three-point game.

Offensive Efficiency: Syracuse relies heavily on J.J. Starling when it comes to scoring, however, Starling is not an efficient scorer, as he ranks low in effective field goal percentage among ACC players. Syracuse needed this in the portal, and they got some, including Naithan George who put up 12 PPG last year at Georgia Tech, as well as Nate Kingz, who also averaged 12 PPG last year at Oregon State. Autry did a good job signing efficient scorers to work with Starling, and that’s what I think will make this Syracuse team so much better last year.

With the transfers Autry made and the stars coming back, they will be a much better team. They need to adjust to having players who score often. However, I think Syracuse are destined for one of the best seasons of this decade.