Syracuse Basketball: 1 Prediction for Each Orange Starter in 2014-15

The Syracuse basketball team is back to playing meaningful games, and the Orange are off to a 2-0 start. Jim Boeheim's club easily dispatched Kennesaw State and then let Hampton hang around before pulling away late.

The competition will heat up this weekend as the 2K Classic moves to Madison Square Garden. Syracuse will face California on Thursday night and either Texas or Iowa on Friday. Both games will be a challenge for this young Syracuse team and we will have a much better idea of where this team is after the next few games.

But we still have yet to see how the team will perform against legitimate competition. The season is still in its natal stages after all. So there's still plenty of time for predictions of things to come. With that in mind, let's look at one prediction for each Orange starter for this season.

Kaleb Joseph Will Be the Team's Most Polarizing Player

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One thing we know as this season gets underway is that Kaleb Joseph is not Tyler Ennis. He said so himself. Ennis had a very polished game for such a young player, and the way he protected the ball and ran the offense made you think he was an upperclassmen instead of a freshman.

Now with Joseph at the 1, fans will be vexed by his play every now and then. Sure, Joseph will make plays that take your breath away; he's much more athletic than Ennis could ever dream of being. But Joseph's playing style can also lead to plays that will make you pull your hair out.

Joseph had at least three turnovers in both games so far this season. Ennis didn't have a three-turnover game until the Orange's 16th game last year. 

Whether it is a bad shot early in the shot clock, a forced pass, a fast break where he goes one-on-two and commits an offensive foul or any other type of negative play, Joseph will leave fans and coaches alike saying "what was he thinking?" a lot this year. But he will also make plays, like a steal and dunk in transition or an off-the-dribble drive that leads to an alley-oop, that leave your jaw on the floor.

Trevor Cooney Will Not Lead the Team in 3-Point Shooting

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For much of last season, Trevor Cooney was the Orange's only reliable three-point shooter. He tapered off over the last third of the year, and so did Syracuse's offense. But heading into this year, we all thought Cooney was again going to be the main weapon from deep.

Cooney certainly can still be effective from long range, but he won't be the team's best shooter this year. Even though it's an admittedly small sample size, Cooney is at 33.3 percent shooting from deep so far this season. He made one of his two attempts in the first game, but only two of his seven attempts against Hampton.

It's hard to see things changing much as the competition gets tougher. So far, B.J. Johnson has been the team's best shooter, making four of his 11 attempts over the first two games. Ron Patterson hasn't had much success shooting early on, but he isn't afraid to take shots when he gets on the floor.

The Orange still need Cooney to hit with some regularity to create space inside for Rakeem Christmas and Chris McCullough. But unless something clicks with Cooney, another Orange player may be the team's most effective shooter as the season progresses.

Tyler Roberson Will Have a Short Leash

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It seems that every year Jim Boeheim has a player who starts but will only play a few minutes before heading to the bench. This season, that player will be Tyler Roberson.

Whether it is because of a defensive mistake, in ill-advised shot or some other misstep, expect Roberson to get the hook as soon as he does something wrong. Through two games, Roberson is averaging 21.5 minutes a game. He will likely continue to start, but if he struggles or other players behind him are playing well, Roberson may find himself on the bench.

We have already discussed B.J. Johnson a little bit. If Johnson continues to be able to make shots and play sound defense, he will challenge Roberson for minutes. Roberson doesn't shoot threes as much as Johnson (only one attempt so far), so Johnson is a better option on offense because of his floor-spacing ability.

Michael Gbinije will also be pushing Roberson for playing time. Gbinije has much more experience than Roberson, and his ability to handle the ball will allow him to get more minutes as well. If Boeheim goes with a lineup consisting of Gbinije, Trevor Cooney and Ron Patterson, Gbinije can still handle the ball on offense while playing the 3 on defense.

Make no mistake, the Orange will still need contributions from Roberson to get through another tough schedule. But if Roberson does something Boeheim doesn't like, the young forward will find himself sitting next to Boeheim while getting an earful. 

Chris McCullough Will Lead the Team in Rebounding

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This one may seem a little far-fetched considering how good Rakeem Christmas has looked early on, but by the end of the season Chris McCullough will lead the Orange on the glass.

To start with, McCullough is just as athletic, if not more so, than Christmas. McCullough's length is also an advantage, and since he will be going against forwards instead of the other team's center like Christmas, McCullough will have more opportunities to snatch rebounds.

In addition, Christmas is going to be a much bigger focal point on offense this year. Since he will be expending much more energy on that end, he may save himself a little bit on the defensive side. That isn't to say he will dog it, but he may not be as aggressive as he normally would so he can be sure he can still get it done on offense.

With Syracuse getting ready to play some tougher opponents at Madison Square Garden, we will get a good idea at just where this team is. It will also be a good opportunity to gauge McCullough and Kaleb Joseph, the team's two freshmen. If McCullough has success on the boards this weekend, that trend should continue the rest of the way.

Rakeem Christmas Will Shoot Around 50 Percent

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So far, Rakeem Christmas had his worst season shooting during his sophomore year when he made 53 percent of his attempts. This season, Christmas could be around that number again, and maybe even lower.

That isn't to say Christmas' level of play is going to dip. It's quite the opposite actually. So far, Christmas has been the Orange's best player. He's averaging 18 points and 12.5 rebounds through two games. But Christmas' shooting numbers may dip a little because of the volume of shots he will be taking.

Take a look at Christmas' stats. His previous career high for shot attempts was also during his sophomore season when he took four shots a game. Through two games this year, Christmas has taken 11.5 shots a game. He's going to be much more involved in the offense this year, so he is going to see a significant increase in shots.

Because of his larger role, it will be much more difficult for Christmas to convert such a high percentage of his shots. Teams will focus on him more and try to disrupt his post game. If Christmas can still shoot in the 55 percent range, it will be a huge boon to the offense. But because he will demand much more attention, Christmas may see his shooting percentage dip slightly.