Projecting Syracuse basketball’s 2023-24 starting five

After Judah Mintz announced his return to Syracuse for his sophomore season, the 2023-24 basketball roster appears to be set for new head coach Adrian Autry.

With four incoming transfers to the team and seven returning players, the Orange set up to have a mix of experience and young talent.

Here's what I find to be the most likely rotation heading into the season.

Judah Mintz will be the starting point guard for his second straight season after withdrawing from the 2023 NBA Draft. Mintz proved his athleticism and playmaking on offense in his freshman season, averaging 16.3 points and 4.6 assists per game.

The general consensus from attending the combine was that the young guard needed to continue to develop his shot, especially from 3-point range where he shot just 30.3 percent from deep.

Despite struggling to find consistency from behind the arc, Mintz was a natural playmaker and was the central part of the Syracuse offense. He should be again this season.

Central New York native JJ Starling transfers from Notre Dame as a highly anticipated addition to the new era Orange. The five-star guard slots perfectly into the starting lineup as a scoring guard alongside Mintz.

Starling shot 42.1 percent from the field for a struggling Irish offense, averaging over 11 points per game and was named to the All-ACC Rookie Team.

Like Mintz, Starling needs to improve his 3-point shooting after shooting under 30 percent from beyond the arc. Still, as an athletic slashing guard, Starling should bring plenty of offensive punch to the Orange this season.

Chris Bell had an up-and-down first season at Syracuse, and will be counted on to be more consistent in his sophomore y4ear.

Bell shot 34.5 percent from the perimeter last season, and with the Orange losing Joe Girard, he will be counted on even more to produce from downtown.

Bell has the ability to easily shoot over defenders at 6’7” and provides athleticism on defense. He struggled at times to understand Jim Boeheim's concepts in the zone, but that should be less of a concern this season as Autry moves away from the 2-3.

Now in his third year at Syracuse, Benny Williams is SU's longest tenured player on the roster.

The five-star forward hasn't lived up to his rating so far, though he did make strides in his sophomore year, averaging 7.2 ppg and 4.1 rpg after his freshman year where he averaged just 1.9 ppg and 1.4 rpg.

The Orange will need him to tap into his athletic potential and look to play more like a prototypical power forward instead of hovering around the perimeter. Williams will need to use his experience and be aggressive to produce and be a presence in the paint.

McLeod should be Syracuse's second transfer to be slotted into the starting lineup. The former Seminole provides much needed length at center with the departure of Jesse Edwards.

The FSU transfer only averaged 13 minutes per game, and will be counted on to develop into a player that can play a larger role with more minutes. The potential is certainly there is a 7-foot-4 rim protector.

With only one true perimeter threat in the starting lineup, Autry will likely lean on Justin Taylor as an offensive spark off the bench. Taylor shot 39.3% from deep last year and has versatility to play at guard or wing.

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