Lucas Taylor has joined the Syracuse Men’s Basketball roster after transferring from Georgia State. He rounds out a solid transfer class. Taylor spent his first two seasons at Wake Forest, then decided to transfer to Sun Belt member Georgia State for the 2023-24 season.
Dynamic Guard Joins Syracuse Men’s Basketball Roster
Adrian Autry had already grabbed a few players from the transfer portal, but he wasn’t finished. Autry adds Taylor to a stacked transfer class featuring Eddie Lampkin Jr., Jyare Davis, and Jaquan Carlos. There were gaps left in the roster after several key players from the 2023-2024 Orange campaign decided to enter the transfer portal. Unsurprisingly, Autry got right to work bringing in new talent. Now with a loaded backcourt the 2nd-year head coach has plenty of firepower to work with.
Taylor to Make Immediate Impact on Offense
One area Syracuse struggled in last year was 3-point shooting. The Orange ranked 212th out of all NCAA teams in three-point field goal percentage, shooting just 34% from deep. On the bright side, they can only get better. Taylor shot an impressive 40% from downtown at Wake Forest during the 2022-2023 season, but he played in just 12 games and only averaged 1.7 3-point attempts per game. He built off of that year, shooting 35% on 3’s last season while attempting 5.8 per game. Now the former GSU Panther can help draw attention off Eddie Lampkin Jr. in the post, or be a catch-and-shoot option for whichever point guard he’s sharing the floor with.
Besides his scoring ability, Taylor spreads the ball around well. He improved his passing game over the course of last season. For example, in November of last season the North Carolina native had 9 assists in 6 games. However, in January he had 19 assists in 8 games. A jump from 1.5 assists per game to 2.4 assists per game. Not a huge leap, but still an improvement nonetheless.
Star Player for Panthers Last Season
Taylor was able to operate as a ball handler in pick and roll situations for GSU. From there he showed the ability to drive, spot up, or find the open teammate. This gives Syracuse the option to relieve JJ Starling and Jaquan Carlos of primary ball handling duties from time to time.
The incoming senior also led all Georgia State players in scoring last year, with 14.5 points per game. He started all but one game for the Panthers, and had a season-high 28 points versus conference opponent Georgia Southern. Orange fans can look forward to getting the best out of Taylor in the Dome. Last year when GSU played at home he averaged 16.7 points and shot 38% from 3-point land. On the flip side, he averaged just 12.6 points and shot only 29% from three in road games. He should look to improve in that area. Syracuse struggled heavily in away games last year. If the team is going to fare better on the road they’ll need Taylor to step it up, too.
Too much Talent?
Between Kyle Cuffe, Jaquan Carlos, JJ Starling, incoming freshman Elijah Moore, and now Lucas Taylor, Adrian Autry has some decisions to make. Who will start, who will be the backups, and who will get the short end of the stick and be out of the rotation? For a head coach, it’s a great problem to have. The orange’s roster looks set heading into the 2024-2025 college basketball season.