Syracuse Basketball: Transfer point guard Naithan George hasn't lived up to the hype

Out of the many reasons for optimism surrounding the Syracuse men's basketball team before the season, the arrival of Georgia Tech transfer Naithan George was near the top of the list. With all due respect, Jaquan Carlos was not at the level of a starting point guard in the ACC. That problem seemed to be fixed after Syracuse landed George, who was one of the top point guards in the ACC last season. Unfortunately for the Orange, that's not how things have played out so far this season.

After the Orange's gut-wrenching loss to Hofstra, it's clear that the team as a whole is not living up to its potential. While the absence of Donnie Freeman is a viable excuse for some of the team's issues, it's not a panacea for Syracuse's underachievement. Some of the blame has to be pointed at George, who has not been the player we thought Syracuse was getting.

Who Naithan George was supposed to be

Adrian Autry and the Orange thought they were getting one of the ACC's best point guards. George was an All-ACC honorable mention selection as a sophomore at Georgie Tech last season. He averaged 12.3 points per game and a conference-high 6.5 assists per game. George even chipped in 4.2 rebounds per game for the Yellow Jackets last season.

Conventional wisdom would have us think that George would pick up where he left off, perhaps even taking a step forward with Syracuse. While nobody expected George to be an elite shooter or high-volume scorer, it was safe to assume that he would be the conductor of a cohesive offense, spreading the ball around, and becoming a difference-maker for the Orange one season after the point guard position was a liability. But with Autry having to defend his underperforming offense, that surely hasn't happened.

Naithan George's season thus far

Rather than taking a step forward, George has regressed in many areas. His scoring average has dropped from 12.3 to 8.3 points per game, albeit in fewer minutes than he was logging at Georgia Tech last season. His three-point shooting percentage and assist totals have also dropped off from last season. In fairness, George is one of the few Syracuse players who's not been atrocious at the free-throw line, but that's of little consolation with just 21 free-throw attempts in 11 games.

Against quality competition, George has failed to make a positive impact. In games against Kansas, Iowa State, and Tennessee, he scored five points or fewer. Despite scoring 11 points in the overtime loss to Houston, he contributed just two assists in that game. Much like the rest of the team, the Hofstra game was a low point for George. Despite dishing out six assists, he failed to score a single point. Even worse, the team's starting point guard wasn't even on the floor in crunch time.

Granted, there have been moments when George has shown flashes of being the point guard Syracuse thought it was getting. But there have also been far too many moments when he's taken ill-advised shots and not gotten his teammates involved in the offense. George has also been careless with the ball, including six turnovers during a lackluster win over Mercyhurst.

The other point guard options

Unfortunately, there aren't many good options at point guard for Syracuse outside of George. During the Mercyhurst game, Autry made an effort to get Luke Fennell and Bryce Zephir early minutes. However, neither has done anything to indicate that they're ready to log significant minutes at the point guard spot during ACC play.

The other option is a three-guard lineup of J.J. Starling, Nate Kingz, and Kiyan Anthony. That was the lineup playing late in the Hofstra game that nearly pulled off the comeback victory. While that lineup can be viable at times with either Starling or Anthony initiating the offense, none of those players is a true point guard. Thus, there are limitations if that trio of guards becomes Syracuse's primary lineup.

The waiting game

The only solution for Syracuse is to wait and hope that George can eventually find his footing and become the player we were expecting before the season. There should be no question that Syracuse's best lineup includes George at point guard. He just hasn't lived up to the hype and replicated the player he was last season at Georgia Tech.

Needless to say, Syracuse is running out of time for George to wake up. The Orange has just two games before the start of ACC play. In conference play, Syracuse won't have any easy games, nor will it have much margin for error with regard to putting together an NCAA Tournament resume. If George doesn't raise his level of play and find some consistency soon, there is a low ceiling as to what the Orange can accomplish this season.