Syracuse Basketball: As Justin Taylor enters portal, others likely to transfer, too

The transfer portal opened on Monday and will run for 45 days, as Syracuse basketball saw its first 2023-24 roster member hit the portal. We'll have to see how everything shakes out in the coming days, but it's likely that multiple current 'Cuse players will depart the program via the portal.

Such is life these days in the ever-evolving world of collegiate athletics, particularly in football and hoops.

Word broke on Monday that sophomore wing Justin Taylor had entered the portal. Credit goes to On3 national reporter Joe Tipton and On3 national analyst/scout Jamie Shaw for first breaking the news on the 6-foot-6, 218-pound Taylor, who hails from Charlottesville, Va.

More than anything else, Orange Nation wishes Justin nothing but success moving forward. He's got high character, is a consummate teammate, and works his butt off. Taylor just couldn't get his shot on track for much of the 2023-24 term, but he played well toward the end of the season, and his work ethic was praised, deservingly so, by first-year head coach Adrian Autry in late February.

Syracuse basketball could be in store for a sizable roster makeover this off-season.

The Orange's 2023-24 season ended when the 'Cuse lost to N.C. State in the ACC Tournament's second round. Then, Syracuse basketball (20-12, 11-9 in the ACC) elected to opt out of the 2024 NIT, assuming the Orange would have received an invite to the annual event, which I believe it would have.

Taylor, a four-star prospect in the 2022 class who spent his senior year on the post-grad team at the powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., came to the Hill with a reputation as being a dangerous 3-point specialist, and he connected on 39.3 percent from deep in his freshman season with the 'Cuse.

As a sophomore in 2023-24, Autry inserted Taylor into the starting line-up, but he struggled with his shot. On the season, he hit on 35.2 percent from the field, 30.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 64.5 percent from the charity stripe.

Taylor, as a sophomore, averaged 23.2 minutes, 5.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per contest. Over the team's final five games, he would tally two affairs where he notched double-figures in scoring.

As a freshman in the 2022-23 stanza, Taylor averaged 16.8 minutes, 4.2 points and 1.8 boards per encounter. He made 38.3 percent from the field, the aforementioned 39.3 percent from 3-point land, and 76.2 percent from the free-throw line.

When the Orange fell to Bryant by one point at home in late November of 2022, Taylor exploded for 25 points in 26 minutes. He's got talent. Perhaps he just needs a fresh start with a new program.

Okay. So Taylor is in the portal. I don't have any definitive information about other 'Cuse players who may join him there, although there's tons of speculation swirling on social media and in chat rooms.

I'm not big on rumors, but I will say this. Other Syracuse basketball players are likely to hit the portal as well.