Together, Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney and Malachi Richardson have been Syracuse’s collective heartbeat so far this season. The trio is averaging a combined 44.2 points per game, while the Orange is averaging a total 72.9.

And with SU’s (10-3) nonconference schedule wrapped up, we now have a 13-game sample size of statistics to judge each of these scorers off of.

While numbers never tell the full story, they do give a good indication of certain trends heading into Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Orange opens its ACC schedule at Pittsburgh (10-1) at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, and below are the best and worst stats for each of SU’s three rotational guards before the competition stiffens.

Michael Gbinije

Best stat: 4.3 steals percentage (Kenpom)

Gbinije has scored in double-figures in every game, is Syracuse’s unquestioned offensive leader and is shooting a more-than-efficient 44.6 from 3 so far this season. And because all three of those things have become commonplace — which is what happens when players reach the caliber he’s achieved — his defensive numbers really stand out. Gbinije’s 4.3 steals percentage is 32nd in the country and the best in the ACC, and is extremely valuable for an Orange team that likes to and needs to run. Gbinije’s length is also valuable atop and on the wing of the 2-3 zone, which doesn’t turn up in the stat sheet but has naturally helped SU this season.

Worst stat: 92.6 minutes percentage (Kenpom)

Because Gbinije was such a good all-around player in nonconference play, his minutes percentage is his most troubling season statistic to date. His 92.6 minutes percentage is the 11th highest in the country (Cooney’s 91.4 is 22nd) and there should be some tempered concern that he could get tired as the season rolls along. Gbinije seems capable of handling such a heavy load, but he’s active on defense and rarely gets a rest on offense. Only two power-conference players (Gbinije and N.C. State point guard Anthony Barber) rank in the top 15 nationally in minutes percentage, and that is because conventional wisdom would say to use any depth you have to rest your best players, to some extent, during nonconference play. But the Orange has mostly gone with a six-man rotation and ranks last out of 351 Division I teams in bench minutes according to Kenpom.

Trevor Cooney

Best stat: 11 unassisted field goals at the rim (Hoop Math)

Cooney hasn’t exactly shot the lights out this season (35.1 percent from 3) but he has shown an effort to diversify his offensive game. According to Hoop Math, he’s made 12 field goals at the rim this season and only one has been assisted on. Last season, he made 32 field goals at the rim and 19 of them were unassisted. It was a common occurrence then for Cooney to create opportunities at the rim with his off-ball movement. Now the fifth-year guard is more capable of taking defenders off the dribble, a dangerous tool for a player with his shooter’s pedigree.

Worst stat: 28 percent, 7-for-25, on transition 3s (Hoop Math)

Last year Cooney shot 24.6 percent on transition 3s, according to Hoop Math, and that number should really improve more than four percentage points by the end of ACC play. Transition shots are conceivably more open and therefore easier to hit than shots in the half-court offense, and Cooney hasn’t delivered on the fast break. It’s likely that the Orange will run even more when conference play starts, which will only magnify Cooney’s transition 3 attempts and the need for them to go in.

 

 

Malachi Richardson

Best stat: Four or more defensive rebounds in five of last seven games

Four or more defensive rebounds may seem like an insignificant figure in the bigger picture, but it’s not when considering Richardson’s role on this team. He is playing the wing of the 2-3 zone and, at 6 feet 6 inches, is undersized compared to most of the players he goes for rebounds against. Syracuse, as a whole, has been dominated on the glass all season, and Richardson starting to do his part as a weak-side defensive rebounder can only help the Orange improve in that area.

Worst stat: 9-for-53 from 3 in the last eight games

Richardson started the season, and his college career, 13-for-31 from 3 (41.9 percent) in five games. His 3-point shooting average has since taken a nose dive, as he shot 16.9 percent in the last eight games and is now shooting 26.1 from deep on the season. Teams will inevitably look to get the ball out of Gbinije’s hands whenever possible, which will shift the offensive spotlight onto the freshman forward. He hasn’t handled that spotlight well so far, going a combined 1-for-23 from 3 in the Orange’s three losses — 1-for-7 against Wisconsin, 0-for-5 against Georgetown and 0-for-11 against St. John’s. There will be no point of this season when Richardson can stop taking shots, which makes shooting out of this slump his only option.

Published on December 29, 2015 at 10:08 am

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse