Philadelphia – Naithan George had missed his first three shots of the game.
The Syracuse point guard had already handed out a half-dozen assists as the first half of Saturday’s game against Drexel neared its end, but he couldn’t get his own offensive game going.
But as Syracuse inbounded the ball at the opposite end of the court from its basket with 9 seconds left in the first half, George had little choice but to take the ball to the basket himself.
He brushed off a screen from reserve center Akir Souare and then went straight for a layup and a 37-32 Orange lead as the first half ended.
“He just set that hook screen in the backcourt that got us downhill,’’ George said. “We knew that their big was going to drop. So, really just testing his feet, and that’s what I did. I got downhill and made a layup.’’
The bucket seemed to click George’s game into gear.
“Coach (Adrian Autry) and my teammates were telling me to attack the rim, and that was the plan,’’ George said. “I wasn’t doing it at first. So, yeah, just seeing that bucket go through gave us that momentum.’’
George’s momentum would result in 11 points in the second half as he finished with 13 points, seven assists and four rebounds in Syracuse’s 80-50 win over Drexel at the XFinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
As SU center William Kyle said, “Those are Naithan George numbers.’’
Syracuse Orange Mens Basketball 2025-26: Syracuse vs. Drexel
George had put up consistent numbers in each of Syracuse’s first two games. The transfer from Georgia Tech is now averaging 11.3 points, 6.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds and a mere 2.0 turnovers in SU’s 3-0 start to the season.
He has seamlessly taken over the point for a totally revamped Orange team with six transfers, including himself, and five freshmen; not to mention the absence of returning starter JJ Starling since the opening minutes of the regular season opener against Binghamton.
“I think he’s been adjusting pretty well,’’ Nate Kingz, SU’s starting wing and a transfer from Oregon State. “He’s a really good floor general, really vocal and I think he’s been great.’’
George was doing his floor general thing in the first half of Saturday’s game, doling out six assists in the first 20 minutes.
But Syracuse needed his scoring. After converting the last-second layup to end the first half, George became much more aggressive in looking for his own shot in the second half.
“I thought he did a really good job directing us, especially in the second half,’’ SU coach Adrian Autry said. “I thought he decided to try to attack the basket a little bit more instead of trying to make passes.’’
The key to George’s game, as it is with most point guards, is efficiency. Whether it’s shooting the ball or distributing it among his teammates, George has been very efficient in the first three games of the season.
With regard to his ball-handling, he has 18 assists and just six turnovers. He had no turnovers in Saturday’s win over Drexel.
As far as his shooting goes, George is in rarefied air. He’s in the exclusive 50/40/90 club, making at least 50% of his field goal attempts (14-for-28), 40% of his 3-pointers (4-for-10) and 90% of his free throws. He’s 2-for-2 at the line.
“He’s a guy that can make shots,’’ Autry said. “He’s a guy that can finish in the paint. I thought he did that. And then the rest of the game will open up for him.’’
