ACC Basketball: Analyzing each team's overall offense for 2020-21 season

ACC Basketball: Analyzing each team’s overall offense for 2020-21 season

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 10: Teammates Jordan Goldwire #14, Wendell Moore Jr. #0 and Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils react after a play against the Florida State Seminoles during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 10, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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SOUTH BEND, IN – JANUARY 22: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Syracuse Orange

2019-20: 73.7 ppg in ACC play

Coach Boeheim is losing one starter and it will cause them to lose one spot in the ACC offensive rankings. With Elijah Hughes deciding to stay in the NBA Draft instead of returning to Syracuse for his senior year, the Orange will be losing his 19 points per game as well as the attention he occupied from the defense.

This is not to say the Orange will not be able to score without Hughes, they will just have to work harder. Hughes was a difficult match up to contain for ACC coaches, at 6’6 and 215 pounds Hughes would often have a mismatch and he would overpower the smaller players on his way to the basket, and out-quick the bigger ones. Hughes’ penetration caused the defense to shift, thus leaving Buddy Boeheim (15.3 ppg) or Joseph Girard III (12.4 ppg) open for a kick out.

Marek Dolezaj (10.4) will quickly become the most important player in the Syracuse offense. He will not be scoring more than Boeheim or Girard III, but at 6’10 he demands attention when he curls off of Bourama Sidibe’s screen in the paint. If the defensive player does not switch he has an easy floater, if the guards attempt to stunt the curl, he will have a shooter in the corner. When not getting open shots off of Dolezaj, Boeheim and Girard III will be running off of multiple off-ball screens to get open on the perimeter.

Sidibe (6 ppg) will continue to be a screen setter and defensive stalwart who will finish off plays on the offensive end. This makes a scoring contribution from the bench more important, unfortunately, the Orange will be lacking there yet again this season. Coach Boeheim only played seven guys over ten minutes and Syracuse was notorious for not being able to hold leads.

With Illinois transfer Alan Griffin not eligible this season, bench scoring will have to come from Quincy Guerrier and the No. 89 recruit on RSCI 6’5 small forward Kadary Richmond, since Jalen Carey (11.5 mpg), Brycen Goodine (8.7 mpg), Howard Washington (7.4 mpg) and Brendan Paul (1.3 mpg) all transferred.