Syracuse Basketball: Observations – good and bad – from SU exhibition win

Intrigued by young big men
Freshman power forward/center Peter Carey, freshman forward Maliq Brown and sophomore Mounir Hima, a big man transfer from Duquesne, each played a bit against IUP.

I’ve read reports that Brown has been pushing Williams for a starting forward position, but after what Williams did on Tuesday night, I don’t see that happening.

But Brown, a 2022 three-star player, is known for his excellent defense and rebounding. Carey, also a 2022 three-star prospect, didn’t play his senior year of high school due to injury, but I could envision both him and Hima serving as solid back-ups to Edwards at center.

All three of these guys, when they see the court, have to defend at a high clip, rebound like it’s nobody’s business, and crash the offensive glass to get some easy put-backs off of missed jumpers.

Bell isn’t afraid to shoot it
A four-star player in the 2022 class, Bell has a nice-looking shooting stroke, and I could see him getting hot in a hurry during some games.

But I could also see him being a streaky shooter. He didn’t shoot well versus IUP, which is no big deal. What I did take issue with is that he hoisted up a few 3-point attempts that were just not good looks. Bell will have to improve his shot selection.

How much time will John Bol Ajak get?
The redshirt junior power forward/center is one of the veterans on this Orange roster, and he did play a couple of minutes in this exhibition game.

But with so many other forwards on the 2022-23 roster, is Ajak going to get run beyond mop-up duty? He plays with energy and does the dirty work in the interior, however, I don’t envision him playing a lot.