Rapid Reaction: Jaquan Carlos a significant addition to Syracuse

Jaquan Carlos has transferred to Syracuse from Hofstra, per Jon Rothstein. Carlos has played for three seasons with the Pride, including the last two as a starter, piloting them to a 25-10 record and NIT bid in 2022-23 and a 20-13 mark last season.

Last season, Carlos took a stride forward in his game, handing out 208 assists on the season while boosting his field goal percentage to a collegiate-best 41.3 percent. While Carlos’s assist-to-turnover ratio backslid to a 2.39-to-1 mark from the previous season’s 2.71-to-1 mark, that mark was still far superior to any member of the Orange last campaign (Judah Mintz’s team-leading ratio was 1.51-to-1).

Carlos lacks great size, as he is listed at 6’0” and 160 pounds, but he can certainly run an offense. Last season, he topped out with 19 assists on his teammates’ 30 field goals in an 82-62 win over Northeastern. Carlos had three double-doubles last season, falling one assist shy twice and one point short on another occasion.

The point guard also has developed into a slightly above-average 3-point shooter, transforming from a player who went 1-of-16 from deep as a freshman to a junior who connected on 44 triples at a 34.4 percent clip last season. Carlos also made just under 80 percent of his foul shots as a sophomore and fell just shy of the 90 percent mark as a junior.

Despite being undersized, Carlos may fit in as a starting point guard for SU, although he could certainly operate off the bench and be paired with any other guard on the roster. Despite his small stature, Carlos had a solid defensive rebounding rate and finished with 4.4 rebounds per outing last season and registered a solid steal rate.

The transfer seems to slot in as a solid contributor at the very least with the potential of being a floor general who can keep the skilled offensive players around him happy. With the potential of being surrounded by J.J. Starling, Chris Bell, Donnie Freeman, and Eddie Lampkin Jr, in the starting lineup, Carlos being a calm hand focused on setting up his teammates could be a very valuable contributor. He may not be a big, flashy name, but Carlos could be a very significant piece for Syracuse.

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