Syracuse Basketball: How Good Will Kaleb Joseph be This Year?

Donna Ditota wrote an excellent article today about a question and answer session she had with Joseph last week. I highly encourage you all to read it as it sheds some big insight on Joseph as person. It also showcased his maturity and demeanor and gives his perspective on what happened with his rocky freshman campaign.

The article got me thinking a lot about Joseph and what Syracuse basketball fans should expect from him for this season. It’s important to note that last year, Joseph was thrust into the starting point guard position after Tyler Ennis left for the NBA. This wasn’t the plan for him. He was supposed to back up Ennis for a year so he could get acclimated to the speed of the college game.

Many fans have been spoiled in recent years with the excellent guards Syracuse has had. Ennis, Michael Carter-Williams, Dion Waiters, Andy Rautins, and others have made the transition from season to season very easy in the backcourt for SU. So when Joseph struggled last year, many fans were quick to throw him under the bus and assume that he just had no talent and would be a complete bust.

I don’t agree with those fans.

Yes, he struggled mightily at times last year. But he also showed off some moments of brilliance. Take for instance the Villanova game, where he finished with 10 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals against a couple of excellent guards in Josh Hart and Ryan Arcidiacono. Or later in the season when he went for 13 points and 7 assists on 9-11 shooting against Boston College. He also had one of the highlights of the year for Syracuse basketball in my opinion, with his monster slam in the second half that put the game out of reach.

When I was at my best — the two games that I just didn’t care at all were the games I played really, really well. And at the time, Villanova was a great team. I just had like an almost ‘eff it’ attitude, like I had nothing to lose. And as the season went on, it just started to drain on me. But that’s what I worked on. I don’t care what anybody says or thinks about me, I’m very, very comfortable.

It seems like a lot of Joseph’s issues last year were mental. He wasn’t quite prepared for the rigors of a college basketball season, and he also wasn’t ready for the negativity from fans and media. Those two games mentioned above were by far his best, and he even admits that it was only because he went into those games with a different mentality that he was more successful.

I mean, it makes sense if you think about it. Being prepared mentally is just as important as being ready physically. If you don’t have confidence in yourself and your ability, it is going to show on the court. One second of hesitation can lead to an entire game of playing too cautiously, or even being out of control.

This season, I think he is going to make a huge leap forward. He spent the offseason focusing intently on improving his game, and it has started to show. He also got the opportunity to play overseas for USA East Coast in a series of exhibition games against talent in Europe and China. He scored 23 points against the French All Stars and played exceptionally well for the entire time he was there.

Next: Syracuse Crushes LeMoyne in Exhibition Game

He also played quite well against LeMoyne in SU’s exhibition game on Monday. I know, I know, it was an exhibition game against an inferior opponent, but it still showcased his growth. He wasn’t afraid to shoot the ball, and he even made a couple solid moves into the lane. He still was a bit wild at times and took a couple bad shots, but for the majority of the game he played very well.

He took his open shots. He passed when he wasn’t open. He even looked a bit more active on defense than last year. I’d still like to see him get his hands up on defense more and be a little bit more aggressive, but that is something that will come with more experience.

In the end, I think he will be a solid role player off the bench for Syracuse. He will be a great relief for Cooney and Gbinije and allow them to take some rest and not be losing all that much in terms of talent. Look for him to contribute with his shooting and quickness. I think this season is where we finally start to see the talent that Joseph has. By next season, he will be ready to step back into the starting lineup and all the trials he faced as a freshman will only end up making him stronger.