Syracuse basketball's starting backcourt is starting to click on all cylinders

As Syracuse basketball heads into its holiday break, the Orange sits at 9-4 overall after wrapping up non-conference play. The 'Cuse has a lot of work to do in upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference action if it wants to hear its name called on Selection Sunday for the first time since 2021, but the pieces are there for the Orange to get into the bubble conversation.

One important component is the anticipated return of sophomore power forward Donnie Freeman, who has only played in four games this season due to a lower-body injury. He is expected to be back in the line-up on New Year's Eve when the 'Cuse will host Clemson.

Beyond some statistical improvements - namely, better free-throw shooting and better rebounding - another huge aspect for Syracuse basketball's NCAA Tournament hopes resides in the team's starting backcourt of junior point guard Naithan George, the Georgia Tech transfer, and senior shooting guard J.J. Starling.

The 6-foot-4, 206-pound Starling missed the first two games of the 2025-26 campaign, but he's starting to heat up. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound George has turned on the jets over the past two games, an encouraging sign for the Orange's leading floor-general who has struggled some in his first season on the Hill.

Syracuse basketball's starting backcourt is playing well of late.

In the Orange's 77-48 triumph over Stonehill on Monday evening at the Dome, Starling became the 67th player in Orange program history to score 1,000 career points at the 'Cuse, according to SU Athletics. A huge congrats to J.J.!

On Monday, George and Starling combined for 42 points - 22 points for George and 20 points for Starling. It was the second straight game of 22 points scored for George. He's also combined for 9 assists and just two turnovers over the past two encounters. That's highly encouraging, as George is a bit turnover-prone, and he also needs to be more aggressive in looking to score, even as a pass-first point guard.

Against Stonehill, Starling had three rebounds, four assists, two steals and only one turnover to go along with his 20 points. For the entire season, he's averaging 11.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while making 44.1 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from beyond the arc and 44.8 percent from the free-throw line. Starling's 3-point shooting percentage is solid, but like many of his teammates, he needs to vastly improve at the charity stripe.

George, meanwhile, is averaging 10.4 points, 4.9 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per contest while connecting on 43.6 percent from the field, 31.7 percent from downtown and 81.0 percent from the free-throw line. When I wrote this article on Tuesday afternoon, he was No. 10 in the ACC in assists per game.

Undeniably, we'll have to see how the Orange's starting backcourt fares against conference foes, but the play of Starling and George lately is a promising sign.