MBB : The Devendorf effect: Since Eric Devendorf went down, SU’s offense has changed on the fly
The look on freshman forward Donte Greene’s face was enough. After defeating East Tennessee State by 50 on Dec. 15, Greene was asked what it would mean if the Orange lost Devendorf for an extended period of time.
Sitting on a plush leather couch in the locker room, Greene could only look at the floor and mumble ‘No comment.’
The next day, Syracuse knew for sure what it already assumed: Devendorf was done for the season. A torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on a freak play, nowhere near the ball in that 125-75 romp over ETSU. Arguably the Orange’s best shooter and second-leading scorer had surgery in early January and has already begun the rehabilitation process.
But the effects already on the Syracuse offense are evident. Gone is the early-season fun-and-gun Orange transition game, the one that scored 100 points and still lost to Massachusetts in November. The one that was ranked among the top offenses in the nation.
Ten games later, Syracuse (13-7, 3-4) has three freshmen in its starting lineup and is off to its worst 20-game start since 1996-97, when SU finished 19-13 and earned an NIT bid.
This year’s Orange had to change its offensive philosophy mid-season. Now it relies less on the 3-point shot and feeding the ball down low has become a priority.
And as Syracuse still struggles to find its offensive identity, Devendorf is on the sidelines at every home game, hobbling on crutches.
Freshman Scoop Jardine was Devendorf’s physical replacement in the starting lineup. Jardine is self-admittedly a completely different player than Devendorf. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound guard from Philadelphia has more of a floor game than Devendorf, and has attempted significantly less shots.
For the most part, Boeheim has praised Jardine’s game as he attempts to adjust to an increased role on the fly. Even after his eight-turnover performance against then-No. 25 Villanova Saturday, Boeheim saw the positives of Jardine’s 15 points.
‘He is trying to make something happen, and that is part of the game,’ Boeheim said after Saturday’s game. ‘Ideally, he wouldn’t be in the position he is now, but we have no choice. He did a lot of good things today and some bad things.’
In reality, Jardine has become the point guard, and Jonny Flynn has assumed Devendorf’s role as the shooting guard. Jardine cited Devendorf’s ability to dribble penetrate as one of the qualities he was trying to emulate.
‘For Jonny, when he got into the lane, he got Eric for the 3-pointer,’ Jardine said. ‘Now, with me, I have to get into the lane and get Jonny a 3. Jonny can also shoot, too.’
Since entering the starting lineup, Jardine has 37 assists to 28 turnovers. He’s struggled in the past two games against ranked foes with a combined three assists and 12 turnovers.
And although he’s had scoring outbursts (18 vs. Northeastern, 15 against Villanova) Jardine’s primary task has been to stabilize the backcourt in Devendorf’s absence. Flynn, meanwhile, has picked up some of the slack with scoring.
‘I just look to get in the lane more to get guys shots,’ Jardine said.
Losing Devendorf wasn’t the first blow to Syracuse’s outside shooting. When junior guard Andy Rautins severed his ACL during the summer while playing for Team Canada at the Tournament of the Americas, the Orange lost its best 3-point shooter, statistically. Then the loss of Devendorf, who was leading the team in 2007-08 with a 40.7 percent clip from deep, took away any constant shooting threat from the guard spot.
Percentage-wise, Devendorf was second on the team last year in 3-point shooting to Rautins. But Devendorf had the polarizing effect of being able to not only shoot the ball well from deep, but also drive to the basket. That extended most opposing defenses, a luxury Syracuse has generally not been able to play against since losing Devendorf.
‘Eric could spread the floor,’ Jardine said. ‘He could get into the lane and score. He could also shoot the ball.’
Before Devendorf’s injury, Syracuse attempted 14.8 3-pointers per game. Since, the Orange has tried 11.7 per game. SU went from shooting 38.4 percent from deep to 30.7 percent in the 10 games without Devendorf.
‘We try to keep it the same way,’ Flynn said. ‘But Eric Devendorf was just the extra shooter that we needed, one of those guys that if you leave him open you might as well just run off the court because it’s going to be a make.’
Greene has attempted 44 percent of Syracuse’s total 3-pointers and is shooting at a 38.4 percent clip, the best on the team. No one else is shooting more than 35 percent. Compare that to last season, when three players (Devendorf, Rautins and Demetris Nichols) all shot more than 35 percent from deep.
In fact, Syracuse is 14th in the Big East for 3-point shooting percentage during conference play. Only Villanova and Louisville are worse than SU’s 30.2 percent.
That, Jardine says, is due to the fact that Devendorf isn’t around.
‘No one can shoot as good as Eric,’ Jardine said. ‘Nowhere near.’
It makes sense that Arinze Onuaku, who coincidentally is Devendorf’s roommate, would benefit from Syracuse’s new offense. Without the 3-pointer as a constant option, the dribble penetration of the guards has resulted in less kick outs to the shooters, instead, more passes to a freed-up Onuaku.
He’s developed a penchant for finishing at a high percentage down low. Onuaku ranks second in the Big East with a 67.5 shooting percentage from the field.
‘We want to get it down low to A.O. so much,’ Harris said. ‘… We still have to try to get it down there more.’
Through seven Big East games, Onuaku, who missed all of last season following knee surgery, has demonstrated he can play against the conference’s best. As he’s done that, at times, Onuaku has taken over games for SU.
Take Monday night’s loss at No. 9 Georgetown for example. With the Orange trailing by nine points less than a minute into the second half, Onuaku scored three straight baskets, stole a ball, grabbed two rebounds and blocked a shot during a three-minute span. That series helped Syracuse recover from a sloppy first half and eventually take the lead.
Onuaku struggled against a double team vs. Cincinnati and was held to three points. The Orange offense as a whole has struggled when it hasn’t involved Onuaku.
That’s a byproduct of an altered half-court offense that is missing its best shooters.
With 11 games to play and Syracuse’s postseason fate still very much undecided, the state of the offense remains in flux without Devendorf.
Opposing defenses have their options against Syracuse. They can double team Onuaku and force freshmen Flynn and Greene to make the plays. Or teams might come out and double Flynn, much like Villanova did at the end of last Saturday’s game.
But it appears as if SU’s offense will be adjusting and learning the rest of the way – that’s the product of playing three freshmen each at least 33 minutes a game.
It’s clear the fortunes of the team lie on Flynn and Greene. That much was evident in Monday night’s near-upset. Flynn carried the Orange for 35 minutes, and Greene hit a huge, late 3. But Flynn missed his last eight shots, and Greene turned the ball over twice in overtime as SU blew a seven-point lead.
Think Syracuse would have liked the chance to have Devendorf take the last shot?
Published on January 22, 2008 at 12:00 pm
