Syracuse Basketball: Not a surprise if Quincy Guerrier in NBA next season

Syracuse basketball forward Quincy Guerrier has landed in an NBA mock draft.

The 2020-21 campaign is still relatively young, but if Syracuse basketball forward Quincy Guerrier continues to perform at his current pace, it’s distinctly possible that he will get drafted by an NBA team after this stanza, should he elect to leave the Hill following his sophomore year.

I know, I know. Pump the brakes, right? Well, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound Guerrier is appearing in a newly updated 2021 NBA mock draft, and from a highly respected media outlet.

Chris Carlson of Syracuse.com reports that Guerrier on Friday “was projected as the final pick of the second round by The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie.”

Carlson notes that Guerrier, whose hometown is in Montreal, Quebec, is placed by Vecenie as the No. 60 overall selection and also described as a “breakout sophomore.”

That description falls in line with what multiple analysts and journalists have been saying about Guerrier since before the current term began.

Simply put, a lot of national pundits felt that Guerrier would build upon a solid freshman stint in 2019-20 and put forth an excellent sophomore season. I agree with these experts, and to date, Guerrier is proving them right.

After collecting averages of 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in 20.3 minutes of action during 2019-20, Guerrier has really blossomed into an All-ACC player in 2020-21.

Syracuse basketball forward Quincy Guerrier is getting noticed by NBA Draft prognosticators.

As the ‘Cuse has commenced this campaign with a 6-2 record heading into the Orange’s non-conference duel with Georgetown in Central New York on Saturday night, Guerrier is delivering some impressive numbers.

In these eight contests, he is tallying 32.0 minutes, 16.1 points and 9.4 boards a game, while connecting on a stellar 65.7 percent from the field, 69.0 percent from the charity stripe and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc, according to ESPN statistics.

Per data from the Atlantic Coast Conference, as of encounters on Jan. 7, Guerrier is No. 10 in the league in scoring, No. 2 in rebounding, No. 2 in field-goal percentage, No. 3 in defensive rebounds a game, No. 6 in offensive rebounds per meeting, and No. 15 in free-throw percentage.

As 2020-21 carries on, Guerrier has to do his best to stay out of foul trouble, an issue that plagued him in a heart-breaking loss earlier this week suffered by Syracuse basketball at the hands of Pittsburgh from the Carrier Dome.

But Guerrier has a terrific skill-set and tons of talent. Vecenie is among the first to arrange him in a 2021 NBA mock draft, but my gut tells me that he won’t prove the last.