NBA Scout sounds off on Syracuse G Buddy Boeheim

buddy-nova
Dec 7, 2021; New York, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Buddy Boeheim speaks to reporters following Syracuse's 67-53 loss to the Villanova Wildcats at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Bierman, The Juice Online.

Three Syracuse players recently played in scouting events ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft, and we caught up with NBA Scout Ryan Blake, who saw all of them in action, on this week’s The Juice on the Cuse Podcast, presented by SNY.tv.

Former Orange guard Buddy Boeheim played in the G League Elite Camp, while former forwards Cole Swider and Jimmy Boeheim were in action at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

While Buddy struggled in his first game at camp, he surged in his second day, hitting 6 of 10 from 3-point land for 20 points. While he was not given an invite to the NBA Combine, he has worked out for the Knicks, Kings and Warriors, and canned an impressive 71-of-80 from beyond the arc deep during his Knicks workout.

“Shooting-wise, when you’re 6-6 and have that kind of shooting touch, that’s always going to be wanted in our game,” Ryan says. “And there’s an advantage of coming from a great coach like his father […] If he doesn’t get drafted, he’s going to have a lot of inquiries for the summer league.”

Buddy finished as the ACC’s leading scorer at 19.2 points to go along with 3.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, en route to being named a First-Team All-ACC performer.

Ryan also said that while Buddy didn’t necessarily have the raw athleticism to defend at the NBA level, he makes up for it in other ways.

“It’s not just athleticism to keep in front. It’s about how to get there and anticipation,” Ryan says. “He may not have that fast-twitch quickness that other athletes have, but he has a good anticipation whether to go over or under a screen. And he’s also a good enough leader where he can direct his teammates.”

» Related: A 2022-23 wish list for Syracuse basketball

Ryan also gave his thoughts on Swider and Jimmy, who had uneven performances at Portsmouth.

“(Swider) didn’t shoot the ball that well,” Ryan says. “However, I was so happy that he played both ends of the floor. He made other players better. He rebounded. He got to the rim. We were happy to see him compete the way that he did.”

Said Ryan on Jimmy: “He’s a guy that’s 6-7, 6-8 and can shoot the ball, and play a number of different positions. The question is if he can play defense. But here’s a guy that’s going to get individual workouts and is going to get a chance in the Summer League.”

Afterward, editor in chief Brad Bierman calls in to chat about the offseason plans for the Syracuse basketball, football and lacrosse teams.

Catch up on all episodes of “The Juice on the Cuse Podcast,” a Syracuse Orange podcast, by subscribing to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

For more Syracuse coverage, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and listen to our podcast.

Avatar photo
About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.