Syracuse Orange men’s basketball player profiles: Maliq Brown

The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball season is fast approaching, and we’re continuing our player profiles for each scholarship player. Let’s get to one member of the freshman class who might be overlooked right now: Maliq Brown.

Position: Forward

Class: Freshman

Vitals: 6’8”, 213 lbs.

Stats (2021-22): Averaged 15.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game at Blue Ridge HS

Strengths/Weaknesses: A four-year state champion in high school there’s been a lot of talk about Brown doing the little things needed to help his team win games. He showed his good decision-making skills by choosing Syracuse over thirteen other schools including Texas A&M and Georgetown.

Brown might be the most natural power forward on this roster but his minutes could fluctuate this season. He doesn’t project as a strong offensive player right away so his team could depend on how well the other forwards rebound and defend. We all know that the quickest way to earn minutes under Boeheim is to get on the class and be active on defense.

Ceiling: Starts off as a high-energy defender and rebounder off the bench for the Orange and his toughness and impact on the glass forces him into more rotational minutes. Brown uses his size to finish at the rim and his athletic ability to ignite the Syracuse transition game.

Floor: The other forwards do well enough on defense to stay on the floor in the hopes of helping the Syracuse offense. Brown gets some run as the on-ball defender when the Orange press and providing some toughness against bigger opponents. When ACC play he’s down to around 10 minutes per game as he develops a better knack of finishing at the rim.