Syracuse basketball PG Naithan George has lofty ranking, Eric Devendorf loves his game

Former Syracuse basketball star Eric Devendorf has high praise for new Orange point guard Naithan George, a four-star transfer from fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school Georgia Tech.

Devendorf, just an all-around good guy who serves as a college basketball analyst for ESPN and the ACC Network, saw the 6-foot-3, 185-pound George play a lot in the recent 2024-25 season, when he led the league in assists per game.

Devendorf and another former 'Cuse star player, Etan Thomas, have a fabulous podcast, "Etan & Devo." In a recent episode, Devendorf said in part about George that he's "one of the best play makers in the country."

Yes, please.

Devendorf and other experts say that they believe George will pair up well in the Orange backcourt with junior J.J. Starling. I anticipate that, for the 2025-26 campaign, George will start at point guard, while Starling remains the starter at shooting guard.

George is a solid scorer and credible from beyond the arc. But where he truly shines is as a facilitator, evidenced by his 6.5 assists per contest as a sophomore for the Yellow Jackets in 2024-25. His proficiency at manning the offense and distributing for others will enable Starling to focus more on scoring, particularly in driving to the basket and finishing around the rim.

Syracuse basketball is faring well to date in the portal.

The current transfer portal window runs through April 22. At this juncture, the Orange staff has secured pledges from a quartet of college transfers, and the 'Cuse still has multiple scholarships available for 2025-26.

National writer Isaac Trotter of 247Sports and CBS Sports, this week, published a piece where the top-100 players in the transfer portal are discussed. George, appropriately for the Orange brand, arrives at No. 44 overall and No. 10 at point guard. Via On3, he was No. 51 nationally.

Trotter wrote in part that "George had to take a ton of tough shots for an undermanned Georgia Tech offense, so he's a strong candidate for an efficiency boost at another spot that could play him off the ball a little more. Regardless, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound point guard would be a strong candidate to be a two-year building block at Syracuse because the playmaking, feel and shot-making out of ball screens is all high-level stuff."

When I wrote this story on Thursday, the Orange's transfer class this off-season was No. 8 on the On3 Web site and No. 21, according to 247Sports.