With the absence of one of the ACC’s most productive freshman, Syracuse will have a major hole to fill for the rest of this season.
In a year where not much has gone right for the Syracuse Orange, the team will now be without its top freshman for the rest of the 2024-25 season.
The program announced Donnie Freeman — one of Syracuse’s highest ranked recruits entering the year — will have a procedure done to address what’s being classified as a lower right leg injury that will force him to miss Syracuse’s final seven games plus the ACC Tournament.
Freeman averaged 13.4 PPG and 7.9 RPG on 50% shooting in 14 games for the Orange, playing just over 25 minutes a contest (13 as a starter).
But those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Just how much will Syracuse miss Freeman, where was he ranked compared to other ACC first-year players and how are the Orange expected to fill in the gap left by his absence?
Freeman last played just over a month ago on January 4, with his impact to play either the four or the five alongside different frontcourt options among the biggest reasons his loss is a big one for the program.
Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images
Despite playing a smaller sample size of games (10 less to be exact), Freeman still remains one of Syracuse’s most productive players on paper this season.
The full list:
- Second in scoring, only trailing J.J. Starling. One of two players averaging double-figures in scoring.
- Second in rebounding, only trailing Eddie Lampkin. Nearly three rebounds higher than third-best on the Orange (Jyáre Davis).
- Fourth in assists, behind Jaquan Carlos, Starling and Lampkin.
- Fourth in minutes, behind Starling, Lampkin and Carlos.
- Third in field goal percentage among all Syracuse players averaging 10 or more minutes per game, only behind Lampkin and Davis.
- Tied for second in three-point field goal percentage among all Syracuse players with at least 30 attempts on the year.
- Second in free throw percentage, only trailing Lucas Taylor.
Freeman also played a sizable role specifically in the Orange’s offense, scoring in double-figures in nine of his 14 games, including seven games with 15 or more. He also had a double-double in just under half the games he suited up for. As recently as Syracuse’s matchup with Duke, he was tied with Cooper Flagg for most double-doubles among ACC freshman.
On that note, the numbers do show really did make an impact compared to the rest of the ACC’s first-year players.
As of this past weekend, Freeman and Flagg are the only two freshman ranked top-five in the conference in scoring and rebounding.
In total, Freeman against the other ACC freshman ranks top-10 in a whole host of different statistical categories: second in rebounds, fourth in points, fifth in field goal attempts, fifth in field goal percentage, sixth in free throw attempts, eighth in minutes, eighth in free throw percentage and ninth in three-point percentage.
Numbers and statistical production all aside, the most significant question for is how the Orange plan to handle Freeman’s absence for the rest of the 2024-25 season.
When Freeman missed this past month, the formula to replace his minutes was simple: Davis became the full-time starter at the four alongside Lampkin, and then Petar Majstorovic emerged as the primary backup four mainly with Lampkin. With the “Freeman at the five” minutes also unavailable, Naheem McLeod has also taken on a slightly larger role as of late after not really playing much to start the year.
The only other wrinkle going forward coach Adrian Autry could go to is going super-duper small with someone like Chris Bell or Taylor sliding all the way down to the four, but Syracuse will likely not have enough size and defense in the paint in most matchups.
From a schematic standpoint, losing Freeman means Syracuse will need the Starling-Lampkin combo to be consistent, but also get production from at least one to two other players in some capacity. It also means Syracuse’s core frontcourt rotation of Lampkin, Davis, Majstorovic and McLeod will be shouldering the load the rest of the way.
Losing Freeman the rest of the year is a pretty tough blow for the Orange as they look to avoid a second sub .500 season in the last four years.