Syracuse Basketball: Preview of Orange 2020-21 depth chart

Although Elijah Hughes is gone, four starters along with a solid recruiting class create an intriguing Syracuse Basketball 2020-21 roster.

Formulating as another story seemingly old as time itself, another bright collegiate basketball star omitted his remaining years of eligibility to instead pursue an NBA career. This time, casting Syracuse Basketball into its understandable, yet melancholy narrative as they attempt to move on from Elijah Hughes and his conference-leading 19.0 points per game.

Last year Hughes served as an offensive juggernaut for the Orange, a tool heavily relied upon due to Syracuse’s year by year offensive struggles.

But beyond Hughes, Syracuse also waved goodbye to transferring players Jalen Carey, Brycen Goodine, and Howard Washington. Combining for 27.9 minutes per game, these glue guys and their departure from the Orange might not provoke too much worry alone, but once tailing Hughes’s decision, they feel a bit more pressing, leaving fans feeling a bit shaky ahead the 2020-21 season.

Naturally, the Orange responded quickly to this seemingly unauthorized garage sale of talent, reeling in some more prospects themselves. This time around thanking the NCAA’s transfer portal rather than resenting it, the Orange welcomed in former Illinois forward Alan Griffin. The team also added freshmen Frank Anselem, Woody Newton, Arthur Cordes, and Kadary Richmond.

Now with Buddy Boeheim, Joe Girard, Marek Dolezaj, and Bourama Sidibe sticking around, the Orange might not require substantial contributions from said newcomers. But despite this, their overall presence simply aimed at helping round out the roster comes as an asset surely vital to the team’s potential success.

As even though basketball modernists might argue otherwise, this remains a team sport at its core, often rewarding the deepest programs. With that noted, Syracuse’s depth chart and its shifts go as follows.