Donnie Freeman's exit is addition by subtraction for Syracuse basketball

With the college basketball transfer portal exploding in recent years, the entire Syracuse Orange roster is likely to be overhauled before the first season under Gerry McNamara. On Tuesday, the first official day of the portal being open, the Orange lost Donnie Freeman, who will pursue his college career elsewhere. On the surface, Freeman's loss is a big blow for the Orange. However, Freeman could end up being a positive for Syracuse.

Freeman by the numbers

Based on numbers alone, the loss of Freeman leaves a big hole for McNamara to fill. While he only played in 23 games this past season, Freeman led Syracuse in both scoring and rebounding, giving the Orange 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. That type of production won't be easy to replace, especially with Naithan George and Tyler Betsey among the players hitting the portal.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Freeman was Syracuse's most talented player this past season. He surely has NBA potential. In fact, it's almost surprising that Freeman is entering the portal rather than going pro. That's the kind of talent and upside he has. Needless to say, Freeman is the type of talented player McNamara would prefer to keep at Syracuse, especially after making a point to say that roster retention would be key.

The real story

While the numbers say one thing, the eye test says something different. What were Syracuse's best games of their disappointing 15-17 campaign? The three that stand out were an overtime loss to Houston, a competitive battle with Kansas, and a win over Tennessee. All three were games that Freeman missed due to an injury. In other words, the Orange's best games came without Freeman on the floor.

In fairness, Freeman was also absent during Syracuse's humiliating defeat against Hofstra. Freeman was also a big reason why the Orange began the ACC season 3-1. He also played a big part in an upset win over SMU and the memorable comeback attempt against North Carolina.

However, Freeman's performances late in the season were erratic and frustrating. For a player who knew he was the focal point of the offense, he failed to show up in the biggest games. In road losses to Virginia, Duke, and Louisville, as well as a home loss to North Carolina, Freeman scored 10 points or fewer. Freeman was also limited to seven points in what turned out to be his final game for the Orange against SMU in the ACC Tournament.

Not the right fit

As much as McNamara wants to maximize the talent on the roster, Freeman may not be the best fit for the direction of the program. While he was often the best option offensively, Freeman didn't use the attention opposing teams gave him to his advantage. He averaged a paltry 1.3 assists per game, while also averaging 2.5 turnovers per game, second highest on the team to George. Freeman didn't always play a team game or get his teammates involved.

Defensively, there were issues with Freeman as well. At times, he was an excellent rebounder, which helped the Orange. But he also had defensive lapses and didn't bring enough energy to that end of the court. From what we've heard from McNamara since he was named the head coach, that's not going to fly with him in charge.

Ultimately, Freeman's exit has a chance to become a case of addition by subtraction. The Orange had its best games this past season without him on the floor, indicating he may not have been a net positive on the team.

While he leaves Syracuse without its top scorer from last season (and its top five scorers if Nate Kingz doesn't get another year of eligibility), his absence also gives McNamara more freedom while remaking the roster. He can go after the players he wants rather than the players who might fit around last season's leading scorer.

Obviously, Freeman's exit is a huge talent drain for the program. But there's something about Syracuse playing its best three games of the season without him that's hard to ignore. The Orange never got better the way most would have expected after Freeman returned from injury in late December. In that sense, Freeman going into the portal could end up being what's best for the Orange next season.