Syracuse Basketball: Judah Mintz boasts ‘improved shot-making prowess’

Syracuse basketball sophomore point guard Judah Mintz, whose decision to return to the Hill for a second season after testing the 2023 NBA Draft waters was a huge development for the Orange, put forth a strong freshman campaign, in which he earned a variety of accolades from the Atlantic Coast Conference and elsewhere.

The 6-foot-3 Mintz is just so crafty, in my humble opinion. He has good court vision. He’s a beast on the defensive end. He’s a high-energy guy. His mid-range game is pretty solid. And his ability to weave past defenders to arrive in the lane, get to the free-throw line, and finish through contact around the rim are top-notch. Elite.

If there are two areas where Judah Mintz has to keep honing his skill-set, I personally believe, they consist of cutting down on turnovers, which can be said about many players who have just gone through their freshman years in college, and also improving his long-distance shot.

In the 2022-23 stanza, when the ‘Cuse went 17-15 overall, Mintz averaged 16.3 points, 4.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.4 turnovers per game, while connecting on 44.3 percent from the field, 75.1 percent from the free-throw line and 30.3 percent from beyond the arc.

To be fair, in a handful of games toward the end of his freshman term, Judah Mintz did show signs of an improved jumper from beyond the arc. And it looks like his perimeter jump shot continues to improve, according to a national expert.

Syracuse basketball sophomore PG Judah Mintz has earned high marks for his play at two recent showcases.

Over the past week or so, several current Orange players, a 2024 commit and a 2024 priority target have suited up at the 2023 Nike Skills Academy in Portland, Ore., as well as the 2023 CP3 Elite Guard Camp in Los Angeles.

According to social media posts, Judah Mintz was on hand for both the Nike Skills Academy and the CP3 Elite Guard Camp, with NBA scouts, national analysts and others reportedly in attendance.

Jonathan Givony, a top NBA Draft analyst for ESPN, sent out this tweet on August 11 regarding Mintz. “Syracuse’s Judah Mintz working on his pick and roll game at Nike Academy. The sophomore guard showed improved shot-making prowess this week and at CP3 elite camp.”

Now, we’ll have to wait and see how Mintz fares on the court in the upcoming 2023-24 season, but this is encouraging news. If Mintz’s outside jumper becomes more consistent, that bodes well for Syracuse basketball this upcoming stanza, and it also will help further boost the 2024 NBA Draft stock of Judah Mintz.

This past off-season, while testing the draft waters, Mintz also participate at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. He had shown up in some mock projections in the mid to late second round of the 2023 NBA Draft, but at the end of May, SU Athletics announced that Judah Mintz would come back for his sophomore year.

Already, the Fort Washington, Md., native is garnering some 2024 NBA Draft buzz, as I noted in an article in mid-July. Our friends over at Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician expanded upon this in a column from just a few days ago.

"In early June, Isaac Trotter of 247Sports said that he was a fan of Mintz electing to return to college for another season. Trotter wrote, “Just massive for Syracuse. The Orange’s backcourt of J.J. Starling and Judah Mintz is young, toolsy and so exciting. It’s a new era of Syracuse basketball, and Mintz can be a great face of the program for the next year. His stock should rise considerably ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft.”"

A consensus four-star prospect in the 2022 class out of the powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., Judah Mintz was named to the ACC’s All-Freshman team a season ago.

So, too, was sophomore guard Starling, a Central New York native who transferred from Notre Dame to the ‘Cuse this off-season. He and Mintz figure to be the leading candidates to start for the Orange at the guard spots in 2023-24, but let’s be clear, the Syracuse basketball backcourt is loaded.

They are joined by sophomore guard/wing Chance Westry, a transfer from Auburn, redshirt sophomore guard Kyle Cuffe Jr., a transfer from Kansas, sophomore guard/wing Justin Taylor and sophomore guard/wing Quadir Copeland.

That’s a lot of versatility right there. Judah Mintz, specifically, was good to great as a freshman. With an improved jumper, man, look out for him in 2023-24. Mintz should contend for All-ACC honors and perhaps even All-America awards.