There’s plenty of time to go until the start of the 2018-19 Syracuse basketball season, which means there are plenty of scenarios that can play out between now and then. Here are the best and worst case scenarios for each player.
Tyus Battle
Best Case: With more offensive options around him, Battle becomes an efficient scorer and becomes a sure-fire lottery pick.
Worst Case: Battle struggles with his outside shot and his percentages dip for a third straight season, dropping him into the second round.
Bourama Sidibe
Best Case: Sidibe cashes in on his offensive upside this season and becomes a steady low post defender.
Worst Case: Sidibe has an injury-plagued season, much like his freshman year and Dolezaj is forced to play extended minutes at center.
Paschal Chukwu
Best Case: Chukwu develops a reliable low-post move and becomes a consistent threat on offense.
Worst Case: Chukwu continues to struggle with finishing around the rim and with committing silly fouls, and is eventually replaced in the starting lineup by Sidibe.
Marek Dolezaj
Best Case: Dolezaj starts hitting jumpers consistently and with a summer of packing on muscle, begins to see his inside scoring and rebounding increase.
Worst Case: Dolezaj remains trigger-shy and defers far too much to his teammates.
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Frank Howard
Best Case: Howard takes another large step forward, becoming one of the elite point guards in the ACC.
Worst Case: Howard’s turnover numbers go up and he struggles against the ACC’s elite much like his junior season.
Oshae Brissett
Best Case: Brissett becomes a reliable 3-point shooter and finishes consistently inside, becoming a sure-fire lottery pick.
Worst Case: Brissett struggles with his outside shot and still can’t finish inside against bigger, stronger ACC teams.
Howard Washington
Best Case: Washington earns the trust of Jim Boeheim and provides quality back-up point guard minutes.
Worst Case: Washington struggles after returning from ACL surgery and gets buried at the end of the bench.
Elijah Hughes
Best Case: Hughes plays quality minutes at guard and wing, and becomes one of SU’s top offensive options behind Battl and Brissett.
Worst Case: He’s rusty after redshirting for a year and can’t earn minutes behind Howard and Battle.
Jalen Carey
Best Case: Carey becomes SU’s sixth man and lights up the scoreboard with his ability to score and pass.
Worst Case: At 6’3”, he’s unprepared for the size and strength of ACC-level competition.
Buddy Boeheim
Best Case: Boeheim becomes a reliable sharpshooter and uses his high basketball IQ to cause havoc at the top of the zone.
Worst Case: Boeheim gets buried on the bench with SU’s significant guard depth and struggles on defense.
Robert Braswell
Best Case: Braswell provides depth behind Dolezaj and Brissett, showing a deft shooting touch and athleticism around the rim.
Worst Case: At 6-foot-9, but a spindly 175 pounds, he gets muscled by bigger, stronger forwards.
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