The NBA Playoffs are upon us! What does that mean? It’s time to grade all of the former Syracuse basketball players who played in the NBA this season.
It definitely was not the best season for former Syracuse basketball ballers in the Association. In fact, it might be regarded as one of the worst. Of course, Carmelo Anthony’s breakup with the Houston Rockets tops it all. Melo barely lasted 10 games with Mike D’Antoni at the helm – we should have seen that coming.
However, it’s more so the fact that he didn’t get picked up later on in the season by a team trying to make a playoff run. As of now, Melo is still a free agent on the market. But, there is a chance that we’ve already witnessed the former NBA scoring champion play in his last professional game.
To add insult to injury, quite literally was Dion Waiters this season. ‘Philly cheese’ was supposed to return early in the season, but this was pushed back a few months, and Waiters never really got going until the last few weeks of the season.
Some former Orange players did have some bright moments. Jerami Grant really solidified himself as a key factor in the Thunder’s rotation, while Michael Carter-Williams has recently taken on a new chance in Orlando – a team that just snuck into the playoffs with MCW lending some valuable minutes.
Now, with the regular season over, it’s time to really delve into how these Syracuse performed. Some were really good. Some were really bad. Some are too tough to grade. However, the big thing to note here is that at ITLH, we are always rooting for these guys to get A+ ratings. After all, Syracuse basketball is a family, and these dudes really showed that during their time under head coach Jim Boeheim.
Honorable Mention:
- BJ Johnson (6 GP, 3.5 PPG, 1.3 RPG)
- Malachi Richardson (22 GP, 1.4 PPG, 0.6 RPG)
- Tyler Lydon (25 GP, 0.9 PPG, 0.7 RPG)
*All stats are courtesy of ‘Basketball Reference’*