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There have been flashes this season of what freshman Maliq Brown can become with Syracuse. Though just 6-foot-8, the forward has become a spark for head coach Jim Boeheim off the bench. He provides relief for a frustrating unit of forwards made up of Benny Williams and Chris Bell, who hardly rebound and are struggling to learn their roles within the 2-3 zone. Boeheim has needed someone at points throughout this season, who would get down low and help out Jesse Edwards, especially against physical teams and Atlantic Coast Conference opponents.

Shortly after receiving an alley-oop pass from Judah Mintz and slamming it down over the head of Georgia Tech’s Miles Kelly, Brown settled back in the middle of the 2-3 zone near the free-throw line. The Yellow Jackets had opted for a quick-trigger approach on offense, one that worked because Syracuse’s players were consistently slow getting back on defense. But Brown waited, and he picked off a low pass from Dallan Coleman intended for one of the forwards.

Brown gobbled up the loose ball and streaked down the field. With one man to beat near Syracuse’s 3-point line, he crossed over and lept for the net, slamming down the fast-break bucket to extend Syracuse’s lead.

“Maliq was really good offensively,” Boeheim said. “I thought Joe (Girard) and Judah (Mintz) really looked for him around the basket and he finished.”

Through 32 minutes off the bench, Brown managed to score a career-high 18 points, brought down four rebounds and swiped four steals. As the season has progressed, he’s garnered more and more minutes, drawing some questions on whether he’d be fit to replace Bell or Williams in the starting lineup. The freshman is a near-automatic bucket from the field — he’s shooting 69.7% through 17 games this season. But it wasn’t until the Virginia Tech game, in which he notched his first career double-double, that he was utilized in key situations.

Against Georgia Tech (8-11, 1-8 ACC), he returned to his midseason form, a double-digit scoring form, one that comes off of the bench to boost the Orange (13-6, 6-3 ACC) to an 80-63 win.

Up until that point, Brown provided depth for Syracuse and saw the majority of his minutes during the latter half of blowout games against nonconference opponents, which is how he managed to score 12 points against Oakland and 11 points against Monmouth. After the Virginia Tech game, something changed. Boeheim said afterwards that he was playing “starter minutes,” and getting inside more than the rest of the forwards, “doing what we need him to do.”

Brown tends to play more inside the paint on defense than Williams or Bell, which is partially what has led to him becoming the Orange’s third-best rebounder behind Edwards and Williams, both of whom have started every game this season. But against the Yellow Jackets, Boeheim felt like rebounding was lacking for Brown, someone who averages 4.4 rebounds per game and whom 42.7% of rebounds have come on offense.

“He didn’t do the usual rebounding job he does,” Boeheim said. “He usually gets more.”

Brown added continued protection for Edwards down low, who despite only playing 27 minutes grabbed seven rebounds and had 14 points. When Brown got going, Georgia Tech not only had to worry about defending the ACC’s second-best rebounder, but they had to worry about a shiftier forward opposite him who is able to maneuver himself into position to get dunks, rebounds and alley-oops. Brown was smart with his shot selection, going 8-for-9 from the field and drawing a shooting foul on a close-range layup attempt.

When he did gain position, he was physical, punishing opponents with the basketball. Toward the end of the first half, he received a feed inside from Girard and was immediately swarmed by two GT forwards. Brown pivoted through them, muscled up and over the players and laid in a layup to give Syracuse its largest lead (8 points) of the half. It was a play that, after three straight games scoring double digits, Brown couldn’t compete against Miami.

The Hurricanes bullied Syracuse’s big men throughout the loss, and Brown’s streak of consistent scoring and tantalizing play off of the bench halted. Boeheim said after the loss that Brown “didn’t have it,” though he said that the freshman has been good for Syracuse. He is still a freshman, and if the game against the Hurricanes taught the Orange anything, it’s that this team and its players are still going to experience growing pains. Miami was a learning experience for Brown, a moment that showed him that the ACC is full of physical teams.

It only took a few days to return to form, and his 18 points and multiple dunks showed the promising future Brown could have in Syracuse’s starting five.

“He got around the basket,” Boeheim said. “He was just stronger, better in there. I just think Miami is more physical. This team is not as physical, so he has an advantage there.”

Published on January 21, 2023 at 4:22 pm

Contact Anthony: [email protected] | @anthonyalandt