Syracuse Basketball: Judah Mintz testing NBA Draft waters is smart move

Syracuse basketball freshman point guard Judah Mintz says that he will test the 2023 NBA Draft waters, and that’s absolutely the right call.

The 6-foot-3 Mintz, a native of Fort Washington, Md., was one of the best freshmen in the Atlantic Coast Conference and throughout the entire country during the 2022-23 season, when the Orange finished a disappointing 17-15 overall.

Judah Mintz said via social media that he would enter his name into the 2023 NBA Draft process while maintaining his collegiate eligibility.

https://twitter.com/Jmintz10/status/1637963807069806592

Per an article from Donna Ditota of Syracuse.com, the NBA’s early entry deadline is April 23, and underclassmen have until June 12 to withdraw from the 2023 NBA Draft.

This year’s NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, June 22, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Syracuse basketball freshman PG Judah Mintz does have the option to return to the Orange.

A lot can change over the next few months, but from what I’ve read lately, Mintz is appearing in some mock drafts ranging toward the beginning of the second round to the latter part of the second round.

If Judah Mintz ends up as a projected first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, I would imagine he won’t be coming back to the Hill. However, if he is projected as a late second-round selection, I could envision him returning for a sophomore season with the ‘Cuse.

In 2022-23, Mintz was named to the ACC’s All-Freshman team. He also received an honor-mention nod for the All-ACC squads.

During his freshman stint in Central New York, Mintz showed an impressive ability to get into the lane and finish around the rim through contact.

His mid-range jumper is solid. Toward the end of the 2022-23 campaign, Mintz also began to shoot the ball a bit better from beyond the arc.

Additionally, Mintz is a terrific defender, with his 1.84 steals per contest placing him at No. 1 in the conference at the time of this writing.

Judah Mintz was a standout as a senior at the powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., during the 2021-22 term.

He originally gave a verbal commitment to Pittsburgh then reopened his recruitment back up, eventually committing to Syracuse basketball as a four-star guard in the 2022 recruiting cycle.

Per ESPN statistics, in 2022-23, Mintz averaged 33.3 minutes, 16.3 points, 4.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.4 turnovers per encounter.

He connected on 44.3 percent from the field, 75.1 percent from the free-throw line and 30.3 percent from 3-point land.

More than anything else, I want to thank Judah Mintz for a terrific freshman stanza. If he does, indeed, stay in the 2023 NBA Draft, I’m wishing him nothing but success in the pros.

The off-season should be an interesting one for the Orange and its new head coach, Adrian Autry. Besides Mintz testing the draft waters, senior guard Symir Torrence and redshirt junior forward John Bol Ajak have entered the NCAA’s transfer portal.

Recently, Autry and his assistants scored a major recruiting win when Central New York native and former ‘Cuse target J.J. Starling said that he would transfer from Notre Dame to Syracuse basketball.

Starling, a dynamic guard also named to the ACC’s All-Freshman team in 2022-23, was a five-star, top-25 prospect coming out of prep school in the 2022 class.

We’ll have to wait and see whether senior shooting guard Joe Girard III elects to come back to the Orange for a fifth year granted by the NCAA due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other guards on the current Syracuse basketball roster include freshmen Justin Taylor and Quadir Copeland. Should Judah Mintz not return, ‘Cuse coaches could also mine the portal for an additional guard, depending on if there are any other roster defections in the backcourt ahead of the 2023-24 season.