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Alan Griffin’s career at Syracuse is likely over after one season. 

Griffin, who transferred to SU last summer from Illinois, plans to enter the draft and sign with an agent, according to a report from Adam Zagoria. He averaged 13.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in 2020-21. 

When Griffin chose Syracuse, he was looking for a bigger role. He was among the most efficient scorers in the nation as a sophomore but was almost exclusively a spot-up shooter off the bench for a loaded Illinois roster. SU gave the Ossining, New York native more opportunity to make plays off the dribble. 

Griffin emerged almost immediately as one of Syracuse’s best scorers. In SU’s first five games, he averaged a team-high 18.4 points per game. He was held scoreless in a slugfest against Northeastern but bounced back with a 24-point, 10-rebound, three-block masterpiece that included the game-and season-saving block. 

SU head coach Jim Boeheim called the chasedown rejection “one of the best plays I’ve ever seen in here.” 

Conference play was more tumultuous for Griffin. He had explosions of 28 and 26 points but also duds of four and five. Griffin struggled to grasp the intricacies of the bottom of the 2-3 zone but recorded seven blocks in SU’s upset over Virginia Tech. He’d get to his spot on the elbow for turnaround jumpers, run the floor for highlight-reel finishes and swoop in for blocks, but he’d also shoot ill-advised deep 3s and get caught too far away from the hoop defensively. 

Even with the inconsistency, Griffin finished the regular season averaging 15.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and landed on the All-Atlantic Coast Conference’s honorable mention team. 

Griffin’s consistently struggled during the postseason, though. He scored three points in the Orange’s ACC Tournament loss to Virginia, none against San Diego State, three versus West Virginia and two in the Sweet 16. In each, he lost minutes to Robert Braswell, a reserve redshirt sophomore forward whom Boeheim trusted more defensively. 

Boeheim has criticized Griffin’s defensive positioning and shot selection. He said Braswell plays defense “a lot better” than Griffin on March 24 and doesn’t stop the ball as much as Griffin, who tends to use several dribbles to create space.

“The last six, seven games, (Alan) just has not been able to defend to stay on the court,” Boeheim said after SU’s loss to Houston. “I think it was a game he might have been able to get something off this team, off the bounce, but he just has struggled at the end of the year.”

Griffin becomes the sixth Syracuse player from this season to potentially leave the team. Braswell, redshirt freshman John Bol Ajak and former guard Kadary Richmond all entered the transfer portal, with Richmond committing to Seton Hall. Forward Quincy Guerrier will reportedly will test the NBA Draft waters. Under both circumstances, players could potentially withdraw and return to Syracuse. Marek Dolezaj is forgoing his extra year of eligibility to play professionally, too.

Published on April 12, 2021 at 1:26 pm

Contact Danny: dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman