The college basketball transfer portal has closed and the Syracuse Orange basketball roster is more or less set for the 2025-26 campaign. It goes without saying that this is a critical season for head coach Adrian Autry and the program.
Likewise, there is no more critical position than point guard, where the Orange had no shortage of ups and downs last season. As we start to take a close look at the 2025-26 Syracuse basketball season, let’s take a closer look at what the depth chart looks like at point guard.
Syracuse basketball's depth at point guard for the upcoming season.
Starter: Naithan George
A lack of consistent or high-level point guard play doomed Syracuse last season. Fortunately, it doesn’t look like that will be the case this season. Autry went into the transfer portal to find a point guard for the second straight season and poached George from Georgia Tech. Not only does George have experience playing in the ACC, but he was arguably the league’s best point guard last season. As a sophomore with the Yellow Jackets, the Toronto native averaged 12.3 points and 6.5 assists per game. The Orange will gladly take that production from their starting point guard, even if George isn’t a great outside shooter. Talent evaluators rave about George’s ability to run the pick and roll, which should make him a good fit for Syracuse. Plus, with two years of experience in the ACC under his belt, George should be able to play a majority of the minutes for the Orange this season.
Backup: J.J. Starling
While he’s not a pure point guard, Starling figures to be the backup point guard for the third straight season. He has enough experience to handle those duties when George needs a break. The Orange also has some depth on the wing, so Starling sliding over to the point at times will help give other players, most notably Kiyan Anthony, more opportunities. More importantly, Syracuse can’t afford to play a lot of minutes without Starling on the floor, which means him handling the point guard duties at times.
Run it back: Best of JJ 🎬🍿 pic.twitter.com/R0QvdTvJci
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) June 3, 2025
Third String: Luke Fennell
Coming out of Australia, it’s a little hard to gauge how ready Fennell will be to play significant minutes in the ACC as a freshman. In a perfect world, Fennell would become a reliable backup for George, giving Starling a little more rest. But it’s too soon to know if that’s going to happen, especially since the 6’6’’ Aussie is considered more of a combo guard rather than a pure point guard. Yet, the 247Sports scouting report on him describes Fennell as having a high basketball IQ and having some natural play-making ability. Perhaps that will be enough to get him consistent minutes at point guard as a freshman.
Emergency Option: Bryce Zephir
Much like Starling and Fennell, Zephir isn’t exactly a point guard, although he’ll add depth to the backcourt at both positions. After averaging just 5.3 points and 2.1 assists per game at Montana State last season, Zephir doesn’t project as an impact player in the ACC. He also shot under 30% from the perimeter and a modest 61.5% from the free-throw line. On the other hand, he found success at the junior college level and started the last 15 games of the season for the Bobcats, so he brings something to the table. With Kyle Cuffe and Elijah Moore both leaving in the transfer portal, Zephir was brought in to provide extra backcourt depth just in case the Orange end up needing it.