Andrew White looks to build his NBA draft stock at Syracuse
By Chris Stone
Andrew White III certainly took his time to make a decision on where to play his final season of college basketball. White committed to Syracuse on Saturday, just two days before the Orange began classes for the fall semester.
From a college hoops perspective, the commitment is a big one. Syracuse, a Final Four team last season, now has a proven scoring threat to replace Malachi Richardson who left for the NBA after a hot run in the NCAA Tournament. Slotting White in as the team’s small forward will also allow head coach Jim Boeheim to shift Tyler Lydon to his more natural power forward spot where he can space the floor and generate serious mismatches against collegiate competition. For White, though, the move is about improving his NBA status after a tumultuous exit from Nebraska.
White declared for the draft last season, ultimately withdrawing after receiving feedback from various NBA teams throughout the process. “I wanted one more year to fine-tune my game and put myself in better position for the NBA next summer,” he said in a statement prior to requesting his release from the Huskers. So, what is it exactly that White needs to fine-tune in order to enhance his stock?
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For starters, the 23-year old will need to showcase a more well-rounded offensive game. White is on NBA radars already because of his shooting prowess. Last season, he connected on 41.2 percent of his 211 three-point attempts for the Huskers and was one of the most efficient scorers in the country. In the era of pace and space where shooting is such a valuable commodity, White already has a leg up on the competition.
However, White is not a well-known playmaker from the wing position. His assist rate last year — his first season playing significant minutes — was a lowly 4.4 percent. For comparison, Buddy Hield, a player criticized throughout the draft process as “just a scorer,” posted an assist rate of 12.7 percent during his senior season. In order for White to wiggle his way into the first round next June, he’ll need to show that he’s a much better distributor than he’s displayed so far in college.
The other area White needs to improve upon is on the defensive end, something that may be difficult to do in Syracuse’s zone system. The 6-7 forward is tailor-made to play in Boeheim’s 2-3 zone. His length should allow him to smother opponents on the wing and jump into passing lanes for steals, a skill he showed last season by posting a top 500 steal rate (2.3 percent). Unfortunately, though, White will spend the season learning the intricacies of the zone rather than the fundamentals of man defense that are necessary to succeed at the next level.
The good news for White is that playing in the Syracuse zone is not a scarlet letter on an NBA resume. The Orange have had several wing players drafted, including Carmelo Anthony and Dion Waiters. Last June, their two starting wings, Richardson and Michael Gbinije, heard their names called on draft night.
White will be 24-years old by the time next June rolls around, practically ancient in today’s terms. In order to follow in the footsteps of the Syracuse wings who came before him, he’ll need to make some adjustments that show he’s ready for a step up in competition and it starts with becoming a better passer and flashing his defensive chops.