Syracuse, N.Y. — If I really wanted to ham this up, the headline could have been a lot more provocative.
JJ or Kiyan? Who will Red Autry decide who to play?
Anthony or Starling? Who deserves the minutes????
The JJ or Kiyan decision: Syracuse basketball’s life depends on it!
No, no, no.
Let’s just cut off any sense of this being a “controversy” at the pass.
Kiyan Anthony’s emergence in the early going of the Syracuse basketball season and how that impacts the impending return of JJ Starling to the lineup is the definition of a good problem.
There’s no doubt Anthony has shined in Starling’s spot while the Syracuse senior has sat out most of SU’s 3-0 start with an injury to his right leg.
Anthony has scored 17.3 points per game, shooting 63.6% from the field. He led SU with 18 points in a 80-50 win over Drexel on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.
Anthony scored from the wing with a sweet step-back jumper, attacked the rim and drained a 3-pointer.
His game is smooth and confident and, let’s be honest here, he brings some serious celebrity juice to the sidelines with his famous mother and father drawing extra eyeballs and pointed iPhone cameras at Syracuse basketball.
The 28.3 minutes Anthony has averaged in three games feels about right, regardless of the looming return of Starling.
I want to see Anthony face stiffer competition as much as anyone to get a better sense of his talents, but he clearly belongs out there.
“I think the one thing that is very impressive about him is he doesn’t take pressure off the defense,” Autry said of Anthony. “He does a good job of mixing it up. Taking it to the basket, taking shots. I think he does a really good job of having that balance of putting pressure on the paint and he can really finish in the lane. If he gets an open shot, he can knock it down.”
All that said, it’s still natural to wonder what Autry will do when JJ returns.
Autry said on Saturday that return from a leg injury is “close.”
Starling was SU’s leading scorer last year at 17.8 points per game and is its unequivocal leader.
When he’s good to go, he’s on the floor.
Period.
“I mean, it’s important because he’s a big part of what we’re doing,’’ Autry said. “He’s our captain, he’s our leader. For our team to be whole, for this program to be where we think we can be, he’s a big part of it and we need him.’’
Autry certainly has options with a deeper and more athletic lineup to work with than last year’s 14-19 bunch and has been mixing lineups like hockey lines to find the right mix.
That’s for Autry to worry about.
There’s a lineup with Starling and Anthony on the floor together, one with the two in a good rotation and perhaps one or two good ones in-between.
When Anthony and Starling are on the floor, think of the stress that puts on an opposing defense to guard that combo with point guard Naithan George freeing them up to create with and without the ball.
I get why the discussion of who between Anthony and Starling receives the shoutout from the public address announcer and bulk of the minutes is irresistible catnip for clicks, social media and podcast discussion.
For now, it’s a good problem that Autry should embrace and will stress test the good vibes of SU’s 3-0 start.
If it becomes a real issue, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
For now, this discussion shouldn’t about JJ or Kiyan
It’s about JJ and Kiyan.
There’s room for both.
