Syracuse Basketball: Positional versatility will serve Alan Griffin well

Syracuse basketball has an interesting addition in transfer Alan Griffin, who likely will arrive in more than one position within the rotation.

Talented sophomore wing Alan Griffin is transferring from Big Ten Conference member Illinois to Syracuse basketball, and how he fits into the overall puzzle on the Hill is a debate that may rage on for months among Orange fanatics.

Griffin, at 6-foot-5, has the length to suit up at shooting guard or small forward, following in the footsteps of ‘Cuse stars such as Elijah Hughes and Tyus Battle.

Assuming that Hughes, the redshirt junior forward, stays in the NBA Draft, and Griffin is eligible to officially compete this fall – two circumstances that aren’t entirely clear one way or another – it’s certainly conceivable that Griffin could make a serious run at a spot in the starting rotation.

Griffin, for one, is a highly efficient scorer, and he shoots quite well from 3-point land. Those are attributes that Hughes possessed, so it’s not far-fetched for Griffin to slide in and replace the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading scorer from 2019-20.

Now, it’s curious to me the sales pitch that Griffin received from the ‘Cuse coaching staff. Did head coach Jim Boeheim and his assistants say to Griffin that he’s got a shot to start, or at least earn sizable minutes as potentially the team’s 6th man?

Who knows for sure. Griffin discussed the plan that Orange coaches have for him in an interview with Mike Waters of Syracuse.com, but the transfer didn’t share a lot of details. That’s understandable.

One has to imagine that rising sophomore Joe Girard III and rising junior Buddy Boeheim are the starting guards to commence 2020-21. The same applies to rising seniors Marek Dolezaj and Bourama Sidibe at power forward and center, respectively.

The wild card here is rising sophomore Quincy Guerrier. He displayed flashes of tremendous athleticism and a terrific aptitude for rebounding in 2019-20. But Griffin is also solid on the glass, and he’s way better from deep than Guerrier.

The rotation may swing toward Guerrier in a starting role if the coaches are looking for more physicality in the interior, whereas Griffin could get the nod if 3-point shooting is the preference, particularly if Girard or Boeheim is struggling with the long ball.

Another facet to consider is defense. While Guerrier is a bruiser, he definitely could improve his play within the 2-3 zone. By extension, Griffin is just joining the squad, so he’s got ground to make up in learning the intricate ‘Cuse defense.

Either way, I anticipate both guys getting a decent amount of action. It would behoove Guerrier to work on his jump-shot, and Griffin has to get used to the zone.

It will prove fascinating to see who the eventual starter is at small forward, and the Syracuse fan base will surely feast on this topic. And let’s not forget that the Orange has other promising players in its arsenal, including two young centers in Jesse Edwards and John Bol Ajak, forward Robert Braswell, and a pair of incoming freshmen in wing Kadary Richmond and power forward Woody Newton.

No matter what transpires, the prospect of Griffin or Guerrier as a stellar 6th man, in a comparable vein to Dion Waiters, is undeniably appealing.