NCAA Basketball: Top 25 most impactful freshmen for 2019-20 season

20) Joe Girard III, SG, Syracuse

Girard is perhaps the most widely known non-five-star prospect in this class thanks to his impressive scoring exploits. The state of the New York’s all-time leading scorer with over 4,000 career points, Girard routinely posted games with over 50 and 60 points throughout his high school career.

And, due to playing at the same high school, it’s not hard to find comparisons to BYU legend Jimmer Fredette.

I’m not predicting that Girard is going to go on to win National Player of the Year like Jimmer did, but he is headed to Syracuse at the perfect time for him to be able to make an immediate impact.

The Orange are replacing their three best players, including their starting backcourt of Frank Howard and Tyus Battle. That means they have a hole in the lineup that needs to be filled and, considering Elijah Hughes is the only returning player that averaged at least seven points per game last year, they need scoring in the worst way.

Girard should be able to fill both of those needs right away. Even if he doesn’t start, he’ll see significant minutes because the Orange simply need him on the court as an offensive threat.