Syracuse Basketball: Joe Girard III playing as well as anyone in the country

I fully acknowledge that we’re only two games into the 2021-22 regular season for Syracuse basketball, but regardless, junior point guard Joe Girard III is playing at an ultra-high level.

The 6-foot-1 Girard paced the Orange with 20 points and seven assists, against just one turnover, in the team’s season-opening romp over Lafayette on the Hill last week.

And in the most recent win for the ‘Cuse, a 75-60 victory over a good Drexel group in Central New York this past Sunday night, Girard tallied 11 points, five assists and three steals. He connected on 4-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.

According to Girard’s bio on the ESPN Web site, as Syracuse basketball has raced out to a 2-0 start in the present term, he is averaging 15.5 points, six assists, two rebounds, two steals and only two turnovers per game.

And get this. Girard is connecting on 62.5 percent from the field, 100 percent from 3-point land and 100 percent from the charity stripe. Seriously, what more can you ask for from Girard?

Syracuse basketball guard Joe Girard III is off to a monster beginning in 2021-22.

Some ‘Cuse fans out there will chime in and note that Girard has only suited up in two contests to date, and the competition is going to get tougher.

Both of those comments are true. But I can only write about which opponents Syracuse basketball has actually competed against, and how Girard has performed versus them.

Not only is Girard facilitating well, shooting lights-out and scoring, but he’s also displaying leadership and locking in on the defensive end. A lot of my fellow Orange fans, last year, bemoaned the defensive performances of several ‘Cuse players, including Girard and senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim.

I felt that some of this criticism was misplaced, but everyone has a right to his or her own opinion. In any event, this past Sunday, Syracuse basketball found itself down by one point to Drexel at halftime.

The Orange made some adjustments during the break, and the team came out really solid in its 2-3 zone. The defensive output by the ‘Cuse after intermission helped fuel the squad’s offense, and Syracuse basketball was able to pull away from the Dragons.

In his post-game press conference following the 15-point win against Drexel, head coach Jim Boeheim praised Girard’s overall play in the early part of the 2021-22 stanza, and Coach B said he was quite pleased with his point guard’s defense in the second half of the Drexel encounter.

Naturally, we’ll have to see how Girard and the remainder of the Orange line-up do as the team endures a really challenging slate in the near term. For now, though, one has to be elated about how well Girard is performing, particularly after an up-and-down sophomore stint.