Syracuse Basketball: The Orange’s depth chart at small forward for the 2026-27 season

With just two players returning from last season’s roster, there’s no doubt that head coach Gerry McNamara has pulled off a full overhaul of the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team. There is perhaps no better example of that than the small forward position, which will have a lot of new faces. Granted, there will be plenty of overlap between shooting guard and small forward. But let’s look at what the depth chart at small forward looks like for the 2026-27 season.

Starter: Gavin Doty

As soon as McNamara was hired as the new coach, it was a virtual lock that Doty would follow him. Doty was a huge part of Siena’s success this past season, averaging 18 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He scored 21 points in a near-upset of Duke in the NCAA Tournament, showing that he can have success against elite teams. One could argue that Doty profiles more as a shooting guard in the ACC, but he has good size and is a competent rebounder. Ultimately, there won’t be a huge difference between the big guards and the small forwards in McNamara’s system, so playing small forward is Doty’s best chance of being a starter.

Backup: Aiden Tobiason

Tobiason also fits the mold of someone who can play shooting guard or small forward in McNamara’s system. The Temple transfer is likely to be the starting shooting guard for the Orange next season. But he’s also likely to move to small forward when Kiyan Anthony comes off the bench. Those two are likely to spend plenty of time playing together, with McNamara taking advantage of the 6’5’’ Tobiason’s size and length. While he only averaged 3.7 rebounds per game last season, Tobiason should be capable of improving upon that this season, which is something he’ll need to do while playing on the wing.

Third String: Mark Morano Mahmutovic

Mahmutovic might be the most natural small forward on the Syracuse roster next season. The 6’7’’ Slovenian has good positional size and has the reputation of being the kind of outside shooter who can help the Orange spread the floor. While it’s hard to envision Mahmutovic starting over players who have more experience at the college level, his ability to shoot the ball should get him on the floor. Most of his minutes will likely come at small forward, playing alongside Doty, Tobiason, or Anthony, as that quartet will be largely interchangeable.

Emergency Option: Francis Folefac

Most of the minutes at shooting guard and small forward will be given to Doty, Tobiason, Anthony, and Mahmutovic, but Folefac will give the Orange a different look at that spot. The 6’7’’ Siena transfer has the size of a small forward and the muscle of a power forward. He figures to be the primary backup to Sadiq White at power forward, although there could be times when he and White play together. Such a lineup may not be common, although it could prove useful when McNamara wants to add more size and physicality as a way to improve defensively and shore up the team’s rebounding.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow