Syracuse Basketball: National writer's realistic expectations for SU 4-star transfers

Syracuse basketball players are engaging in summer workouts as the 'Cuse begins to gear up for the 2024-25 season.

The Orange, which has significantly overhauled its roster this off-season, seeks to get back to the NCAA Tournament in the upcoming campaign following a three-year absence from the annual Big Dance.

This off-season, the 'Cuse saw seven players from its 2023-24 roster hit the transfer portal, while point guard Judah Mintz is pursuing a professional career. Conversely, five players are returning, and the Orange's 2024 recruiting class includes two high school seniors at a quartet of college transfers.

It's possible that the Syracuse basketball staff could add another player or two in the near future, with the team still having two open scholarships left for 2024-25. Either way, 'Cuse coaches have done a solid job in the transfer portal over the past few months, hauling in four college transfers who are all rated as four-star prospects by at least one recruiting service.

When you also factor in the Orange's two high school senior commits - five-star power forward Donnie Freeman from Washington, D.C., and four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore from New York City - the 'Cuse six-member 2024 cycle is currently rated No. 10 around the country, per the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking.

What can we expect from the Syracuse basketball transfers into the program?

Isaac Trotter, a national writer for 247Sports and CBS Sports, recently published an interesting piece where he delved into the realistic expectations in 2024-25 for every college transfer who will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference during the upcoming campaign.

That includes the Orange's transfers, who are Hofstra junior point guard Jaquan Carlos, Colorado senior center Eddie Lampkin Jr., Georgia State junior guard/wing Lucas Taylor, and Delaware senior forward Jyáre Davis.

Here are the stats for these four players from the 2023-24 season, as a bit of context:
Jaquan Carlos
10.4 points, 6.3 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game

Eddie Lampkin Jr.
10.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game

Lucas Taylor
14.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game

Jyáre Davis
17.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game

Regarding the 6-foot Carlos, Trotter says he's likely to start at point guard, and I agree. Rising junior J.J. Starling is expected to be the other starter in the team's backcourt. Trotter wrote in part, "Carlos is one of the top pass-first, initiator point guards in the portal, and this has every opportunity to be a strong match for both sides. Carlos' ability to stretch the floor should free up the paint for JJ Starling to get more traction on his drives. Carlos is very jump-shot reliant (just 22% of his shots last year came at the rim), but the stroke is pure."

I like what Isaac says here. Multiple experts have told me that Carlos is an excellent pass-first, pure point guard who can score but shines when he gets his teammates involved. Plus, Starling excels when he hits the lane, so if Carlos can free up space for Starling and others to attack the paint, I think the 'Cuse backcourt can wreak havoc on its opponents.

Trotter views the 6-foot-11 Lampkin as the Orange's starting center. No argument here. The only other true center currently on the 2024-25 roster is rising senior Naheem McLeod, who was limited to 14 games last season due to an injury.

Says the 247Sports/CBS Sports expert: "Syracuse's offense had a minuscule 2.4% post-up rate last year, per Synergy. That's one of the lowest marks in the country. Part of that was personnel, and Lampkin should help change that. He does so much of his work on the block, but Syracuse has to help him improve his decision-making."

Moving on to the 6-foot-5 Taylor, given his strong frame at around 200 pounds, I could envision him playing guard as well as perhaps small forward out on the wing, and Trotter expects him to be a wing rotational player. Trotter writes, "There's always room at the inn for a 6-foot-5 shooter. Taylor will have a scaled-down role for Syracuse, but he gives Red Autry another piece who can go create his own shot in a pinch. Taylor is more of a two-level scorer right now."

At 6-foot-7, 215 pounds, Davis is a versatile forward who can play both small forward and power forward, analysts have told me. Trotter deems him a front-court rotational player. I assume Freeman will start at power forward, while rising junior Chris Bell will start at small forward.

However, I think that Davis, given his agility and athleticism, will play sizable minutes in 2024-25. Trotter appears to concur, saying "Davis should be a rotation staple."

Trotter adds, "Davis owns good footwork and decision-making as a short-roll playmaker, and the jumper isn't a strength but isn't broken, either. Davis was a free throw merchant last year and shot over 81% at the stripe."

I'll be fascinated to see what the rotations end up looking like for head coach Adrian Autry and his assistants, given all the new faces within the Orange's 2024-25 line-up.