Syracuse Basketball: So far, Judah Mintz is among top scorers in country

Syracuse basketball sophomore point guard Judah Mintz is off to a fast start in his second year on the Hill.

When I wrote this column, the 6-foot-4, 185-pound Mintz was among the top-20 scorers around the country, and he’s a big reason why the Orange is 3-0 to date in the young 2023-24 season.

Judah Mintz is averaging 23.0 points per game, along with 5.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per contest, while logging 31.7 minutes per affair. His scoring output is also close to the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Mintz is No. 1 on the Syracuse basketball roster in both points and assists per meeting.

Shooting-wise, he’s connecting on 42.2 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from beyond the arc, and a strong 82.4 percent from the free-throw line. Without question, Mintz will want to improve his shooting percentage from deep, and that was something he worked extremely hard on this past offseason.

Prior to 2023-24 commencing, multiple national analysts and scouts noted that Mintz’s perimeter jumper was looking much improved from a stanza ago, when he averaged more than 16 points per contest and made the ACC’s All-Freshman team.

Syracuse basketball sophomore point guard Judah Mintz is a top scorer nationwide.

Judah Mintz, as he showed during his freshman term and again in the early part of his sophomore year, has a keen ability to use his athleticism and speed to weave through defenders and finish around the rim through contact.

His assertiveness in taking the ball to the bucket is evidenced by the fact that, through three non-conference contests, Mintz has already attempted 34 shots from the charity stripe, which translates to more than 11 free-throw attempts per game.

At the time of this writing, his 34 total attempts from the charity stripe were within the top-five nationally. Judah Mintz continuing to be aggressive in the paint, and scoring easy points from the free-throw line, is a tremendous asset for the Orange, particularly as the team’s schedule toughens up shortly.

This past Tuesday night at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse basketball came back from being down 24 points to stun Colgate in the game’s closing seconds, 79-75. Sophomore forward Chris Bell saved the ‘Cuse, as he tallied a career-high 25 points.

Judah Mintz, though, was stellar as well in this triumph over the Raiders. He collected 23 points, eight assists and three steals, and Mintz was a solid 11-of-14 from the free-throw line.

After the Orange defeated Colgate, first-year head coach Adrian Autry said in part about Judah Mintz, “He’s a competitor. He’s tough. He’s one of the best guards in the country. He was struggling for a minute but he stuck with it.”

In 2022-23, Mintz was one of the best newbies not only in the ACC, but also nationally. As he settles into the current term, Judah Mintz is eyeing his place among the nation’s elite, regardless of class designation.

Before the 2023-24 season got underway, Mintz found himself on many watch lists for various national and ACC accolades, including two national player of the year honors, the Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy.

Coming up, the Orange has some big-time battles on the horizon, including at this season’s Allstate Maui Invitational in Honolulu. Mintz has said that he and his teammates are ready to roll, and they’re not backing down from anyone.

After testing the 2023 NBA Draft process, Judah Mintz delighted the Syracuse basketball coaching staff and the fan base by returning to the Hill for his sophomore season. He’s receiving some early buzz for the 2024 NBA Draft, but first things first: Mintz is focused on helping the Orange win as many games as possible, while also making a deep run in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.