Syracuse Basketball: 3 takeaways for Orange from blowout loss to Virginia

Get Marek Dolezaj Some Help

With Bourama Sidibe’s time away due to injury now more extensive than originally anticipated, continuing to keep the undersized Marek Dolezaj as the team’s starting center feels like trying to fix a leaky ceiling by just patching some tape over it. More built for the power forward spot, Dolezaj lacks the interior presence required to lock down the paint especially as a defender.

Although his aggressiveness around the rim has improved this year, the Dolezaj still lacks the combative nature which a starting center should bring to his game. Despite shooting this year with a top ten ACC field goal percentage, the Slovakian forward only averages 6.8 field goal attempts per game. Against Virginia, Dolezaj only took six shots.

With Frank Anselem, Woody Newton, and Jesse Edwards at Boeheim’s disposal, adding some extra muscle and forcefulness at the expense of experience might make the team less susceptible to inside penetration. Offensively, Newton also can help the team spread the floor, having displayed a solid jump shot, especially for a big man. A chance to relieve Dolezaj a bit down low certainly exists with all these options available, coach Boeheim just needs to pull the trigger on some younger talent.

Nobody should blame Dolezaj for these issues given his unfamiliarity with the center position. But nonetheless, these struggles remain impossible to ignore at this point. It certainly feels like the right time to offer him some help off the bench.