Syracuse basketball shooting stellar from deep, focus on paint scoring vital
By Neil Adler
Syracuse basketball has an array of sharp-shooters on the 2021-22 roster, and no one’s denying that. And the chances that all of them have off-nights simultaneously are probably fairly small.
However, as the Orange gets into the meat of its challenging non-conference slate, and then its Atlantic Coast Conference calendar, opposing defenders are going to make life really difficult for ‘Cuse shooters on the perimeter.
Head coach Jim Boeheim, in his press conference after the Orange got to 2-0 with a 15-point victory against Drexel this past Sunday night on the Hill, noted how opponents aren’t going to give his shooters open looks.
That, in turn, would seem to signify to me that the entire Syracuse basketball roster will have to prove proficient in scoring via other avenues, including in the mid-range, around the rim, through fast-break transition opportunities, and from pounding the offensive glass.
What’s more, from my perspective anyway, I think it’s vital that the ‘Cuse isn’t solely known as a 3-point shooting team in 2021-22. It makes the squad’s offense more predictive and easier to defend, and if the Orange’s shooters are going through a dry spell from beyond the arc, scoring by other means will become that much more critical.
Syracuse basketball, so far, isn’t just settling for attempts from 3-point land.
In the ‘Cuse conquests of Lafayette and Drexel, I believe that the Orange has done a terrific job of scoring at all three levels, and the numbers back up my premise. At least, I hope!
According to box scores provided by Syracuse.com, the ‘Cuse was 37-of-68 from the field against Lafayette, for 54.4 percent, as well as 13-of-26 from deep, for 50 percent.
Assuming my math is correct, Syracuse basketball connected on 24-of-42 as it pertains to two-point attempts, which translates to 57.1 percent.
Versus Drexel, again per Syracuse.com, the Orange was 30-of-54 from the field as a whole, for 55.6 percent, and 8-of-16 from deep, which is 50 percent. For the team’s two-point attempts, it was then 22-of-38, which equals 57.9 percent.
My takeaway here is that, obviously, the ‘Cuse is shooting lights out from the field and from beyond the arc. As the competition intensifies, those percentages certainly could come down.
But what encourages me is that a sizable amount of the team’s shots are from inside the perimeter, and I sincerely hope that pattern continues throughout the 2021-22 stanza.
To keep defenders honest, the guards need to keep on making a concerted effort to find the forwards and centers in the interior when on offense.
When 3-point shooters are being heavily guarded, the wings have to drive with assertiveness to the basket. And as Coach Boeheim has alluded to, all of the big men have to crash the offensive boards.