Can Tyler Ennis compare to Michael Carter- Williams?
Tyler Ennis will have a lot on his shoulders this year, straight out of the gate. There is little doubt that he will be starting at the point this year, the first time a true freshman started at the point since Johnny Flynn. That year, the ‘Cuse went to the NIT. So how good is Tyler Ennis? He is a four star recruit and ranked 38th overall on the ESPN Top 100. His senior year in high school he averaged 21.1 points per game, 5.1 assists per game,3.8 rebounds per game, and 2.2 steals per game. Ennis was recruited by some big time programs. Louisville, Memphis, Illinois, and UCLA all wanted him. At 6’2″, he is smaller than MCW, which may be the most obvious difference. Here is how they compare so far:
You may be surprised at how closely they compare. Here are the stats from the 13 games Ennis played over the summer (9 – under 19 and 4 in Canada)
| 2-pt FGs | 3-pt FGs | FTs | APG | TOs per game | SPG | PPG |
| 81-170 (47.6%) | 6-23 (26%) | 44-60 (73.3%) | 2.8 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 17.4 |
Syracuse Athletics and USA Basketball
| 2-pt FGs | 3-pt FGs | FTs | APG | TOs per game | SPG | PPG |
| 120-274 (43.8%) | 35-120 (29.2%) | 129-186 (69.4%) | 7.3 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 11.9 |
Syracuse Athletics
Ennis may have some options available to him that MCW did not have. Carter – Williams had CJ Fair, but not many options beyond him. Ennis will have not only Fair, but Jerami Grant as well. Jonathan Givony, with DraftExpress.com, has Grant going in the 1st round of a mock 2014 draft. We can’t forget Trevor Cooney, either. Cooney and Ennis proved at Orange Madness that they can work together very well.
The key to Syracuse this year will no doubt depend on the play of Tyler Ennis. With the talent that Syracuse has this year in nearly every position, they could very well be a contender for ACC Champions their first year in the league. Oh yes, and let’s not forget how disruptive that 2-3 zone can be, especially to our new foes in the ACC, who are far less familiar with how to dismantle it.
The Confidential 