Syracuse 42nd-year head coach Jim Boeheim has reiterated variations of the same phrase — “Our offense is terrible,” or “We’ve been struggling offensively” — throughout the season.

Ever since the preseason, early in games against Division II opponents, the Orange has repeatedly struggled to initiate offense. SU averages 67.5 points per game, tied for 309th in Division I hoops. As personnel changed and players evolved, the imbalance played out nearly every game for Syracuse: Three primary scorers carry the bulk of the scoring load without much help.

The offensive troubles that have undone Syracuse (20-13, 8-10 Atlantic Coast) in losses come down to three simple factors — having only three consistent scorers, a lack of dribble penetration and a whole lot of standing around. The first of which may be hard to fix at this stage in the season, though Marek Dolezaj’s emergence would go a long way. More on that later.

The other two items are much more correctable on a game-by-game, even possession-by-possession, basis. Adjustments on the offense end moving forward could pay dividends for the Orange. Or they could send Syracuse straight toward its next loss and into the offseason.

Below, find three ways in which Syracuse could boost its offensive production for the Big Dance. There’s no quick-fix to Syracuse’s inexperience, but don’t rule out a few tweaks that could promote scoring. Because there may be a real opportunity for Syracuse to make a push, given how strong its defense has been.

Ride the hot wave, but be ready to course correct

Much of Syracuse’s offensive struggles have been rooted in a shortage of scorers. It boils down to a fact that Boeheim put bluntly after SU’s loss to Boston College on Feb. 28: the Orange has only three capable options. Dolezaj scored 20 points last week against Wake Forest, but he reverted back to his former self with a six-point outing against North Carolina the next night.

The trio of Tyus Battle, Frank Howard and Oshae Brissett have accounted for 73 percent of Syracuse’s scoring this season. All three have shown an ability to carry the offense for spurts or, in some cases, entire games. If one gets hot, ride that. But only to an extent.

Where the Orange has run into trouble, particularly in the second half, is when teams adjust defensively. That’s usually in the form of a zone, matchup defense or face-guard on Battle. This is where Syracuse could try something new. Who knows what Boeheim may pull out of his bag of tricks, but we’ve seen infrequent efforts to push the ball in transition. And we’ve seen few backdoor attempts and few skip-passes, both of which can lead to quick, open shots.

“Whoever brings the ball up, we want to run the offense through them,” Brissett said last month. “That’s what you want to do: have everyone else space out. Either you have an open 3 or just space out and crash the glass when the shot goes up.”

Further, the Orange could put Dolezaj or junior center Paschal Chukwu in dribble hand-off situations to force the opposing center to expose himself away from the basket. Unclogging the middle in such a manner would open up the floor.

Get Marek Dolezaj engaged — early

As I wrote after the Boston College win in January, there was a job opening on this team: reliable scorer and distributor in the paint. Dolezaj has partially taken the role, but his performance over the past six to seven weeks is akin to more of a part-time job. He needs to turn himself into a full-time contributor for Syracuse to expand its offensive game.

“We have problems,” Boeheim said in February, “when we don’t have a low-post presence.”

There’s no question Dolezaj can fill the void by being more assertive. Boeheim has said as much. He has a nifty hook/floater and is starting to show signs of an ability to finish. His presence on the court, especially from 10 feet and farther out, eliminates a help defender and creates more space for others to create. It also gives space for Battle and Brissett to attack closing-out defenders.

“I think being able to have a couple of more guys,” SU associate head coach Adrian Autry said last month when asked about how to initiate offense. “Since we’re not a great shooting team, a couple of more guys that can put the ball down and try and make some things happen (would help).”

How about this: When Dolezaj scores seven or more points, Syracuse is 10-2. When he reaches double figures, Syracuse is 5-0. Engage him.

Create off the dribble

The new triple threat: attack, attack, attack. Nothing happens on offense without the threat of the score. For the Orange to win this March, it’ll need to create off the dribble. Part of that stems in how well Howard operates with high screens. The other is the combination of how effective Battle and Brissett prove to be on drives from the wings and along the baseline.

“We’ve got to play off our guards and drive,” Boeheim said last month.

Too much dribbling allows the offense time to reset while the shot clock trickles down. Too often, we see players watching a ball-dominant player in Battle, Howard or Brissett. The style of play SU runs may dictate this, but Syracuse can create a wrinkle by moving off-ball. This would set up one-on-one matchups prime for dribble drives.

“We try to get into the paint,” Howard said. “Me and Tyus, we try to attack.”

When players get into the lane, both Howard and Boeheim have said, the tenor of the SU offense upgrades significantly. Battle and Howard know they need to use their height, probably a bit more.

Syracuse hasn’t been blown out many times this season. Save for a 16-point loss to then-No. 2 Kansas in December, the Orange hadn’t been completely out of a game until its loss to North Carolina last week. This year’s defense can allow SU to hang with and beat just about anyone — if its offense can pick up the slack.

Published on March 14, 2018 at 2:01 pm