Both Frank Howard and John Gillon are able to run the point guard position and that’s exciting to Jim Boeheim.
Syracuse Orange fans have been pretty spoiled lately.
The Orange have had a long list of talented point guards who were dynamic, game-changing players. In recent years, Syracuse fans have enjoyed the likes of Jonny Flynn, Brandon Triche, Scoop Jardine, Michael-Carter Williams, Tyler Ennis, and Michael Gbinije. All of these players flourished at the point guard position and this year Boeheim thinks John Gillon and Frank Howard will be the next great ones.
The point guard position is one of the most important on the floor and Boeheim often gives his floor generals “the keys to the offense.” He lets them be a coach and run the offense where they see fit.
On this year’s squad, the Orange will look to John Gillon and Frank Howard to run the offense. Jim Boeheim thinks both players are capable and could provide a new look for the team.
“We couldn’t run last year because we really didn't have a point guard. We couldn't really spot ‘em up and hit ‘em,” Boeheim said. “Frank can find that guy and Johnny will be able to find that guy. So yeah, I think we will be able to pass the ball better in those situations this year.”
Syracuse has some players around Gillon and Howard like Tyler Lydon, Tyus Battle, and Andrew White who can score the basketball and will be relied on to do so. Gillon is an adequate scorer, but Howard shot just 11 percent from 3-point range last year. With that being said, Howard’s distributing ability is really what will be valuable for the Orange. He can set up the scorers in spots where they will succeed. When Howard is out you can put in Gillon, somebody who knows how to run the point guard position properly.
It will be interesting to see if Boeheim ever plays both Gillon or Howard, two play-makers at the same time. He certainly didn't rule it out:
“I don’t know if we’ve had two really good point guards. Well, we have, but we’ve usually played them together. We have two pretty good point guards,” Boeheim said.
One thing we know for sure is that Syracuse will be a very deep team, with guys that can play multiple positions. For a more in-depth look at Gillon, check out this article our own James Szuba wrote.
