JJ Starling’s Evolution: From Leading Scorer to Syracuse’s Defensive Anchor and Vocal Leader
Syracuse’s JJ Starling isn’t lighting up the box score the way he did last season - and that’s exactly what makes his story this year so compelling.
A year ago, it was easy to gauge Starling’s impact. He was the Orange’s go-to scorer, averaging 17.8 points per game and finishing seventh in the ACC in scoring. He led Syracuse in points in more than half their games and looked every bit the offensive engine of a team still finding its identity.
This season? The numbers are down - 11.3 points per game - but the impact? Arguably greater than ever.
“I just think he’s really grown on both sides of the floor,” head coach Adrian Autry said recently. “That’s the impact I’m seeing.
That’s where I’ve really seen him grow the most. Just growing into being a leader.”
And that’s the key. This version of JJ Starling isn’t just filling up the stat sheet - he’s filling a leadership void on a team that desperately needed someone to step up.
A New-Look Roster, A Familiar Face
Syracuse came into the 2025-26 season with a roster that barely resembled last year’s. After a 14-19 campaign, the Orange hit reset, bringing in six transfers and five freshmen. While some of the newcomers had college experience, they were all new to Autry’s system, and none had worn the Orange before.
That left Starling and sophomore forward Donnie Freeman as the only returning players with any real connection to last season’s squad. And with Freeman sidelined by a lower-leg injury for the past nine games, the leadership responsibilities have fallen squarely on Starling’s shoulders.
“He’s done a great job leading as a senior,” said center William Kyle, a transfer from UCLA. “He’s been a huge part of this team. I feel like the maturity he has as a senior leader on this team, he’s taken pride in his role.”
Starling’s pride in that role runs deep - because the journey to get here hasn’t been easy.
The Road Through Adversity
A Baldwinsville native, Starling left home for La Lumiere School in Indiana for the final two years of high school, where he earned McDonald’s All-American honors and committed to Notre Dame. But his college career has been anything but smooth.
Injuries marred his freshman year in South Bend - knee and shoulder issues limited his availability. He transferred to Syracuse and stayed healthy in his sophomore year, averaging 13.3 points and helping the Orange to a 20-win season.
But the injury bug wasn’t done with him. A broken bone in his left wrist cost him seven games as a junior. Then, less than four minutes into this season’s opener, he injured his right hand and missed two more games.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs that shaped me into the person I am today both on and off the court,” Starling said. “I’m thankful for those ups and downs because it’s allowing me to lead these younger guys that are just coming into college.”
That perspective - earned through setbacks - is what’s allowing Starling to lead in ways that don’t always show up in the box score.
Same Offensive Approach, New Defensive Mindset
Despite the dip in scoring, Starling insists his offensive mindset hasn’t changed.
“It’s still picking your spots,” he said. “Getting to your spots and being effective in that.”
What has changed is his energy allocation. Last year, Starling admits, he was all offense, all the time.
Defense was an afterthought. This year, it’s a priority - and it’s setting the tone for the entire team.
“Last year I was more offensive-minded,” Starling said. “All my energy was exerted for that.
That’s all I cared about. That’s all I thought about.
And that’s why, you know, I had my ups and downs.”
The shift in mindset has been contagious.
“I feel like JJ made a point of emphasis this year that he was going to guard the basketball,” said freshman forward Sadiq White. “We just fed off of that.”
That buy-in was on full display in Syracuse’s signature win of the season - a gritty 62-60 victory over 13th-ranked Tennessee on Dec. 2. Starling scored just 12 points, but his impact was felt everywhere else.
Autry gave him the assignment of guarding 6-foot-10 freshman forward Nate Ament. Starling, a 6-foot-4 guard, took on the challenge - and owned it. He held Ament to 11 points on 2-for-10 shooting and forced seven turnovers.
“I thought he was phenomenal,” Autry said after the game. “I thought he was so tough.”
Finding His Voice
Starling’s toughness has never been in question. But becoming a vocal leader? That’s been a work in progress.
He’s naturally quiet, more of a lead-by-example type. But in a system that demands constant communication on defense, silence isn’t an option.
After a recent win over Stonehill - in which Starling poured in a season-high 20 points - Autry made a point of highlighting something else: his voice.
“I thought today he was very vocal,” Autry said. “Level 5 talking to his teammates, talking and encouraging everybody.”
Starling credits his teammates for helping him step into that role.
“These guys are helping me grow,” he said. “You know, be more vocal. I’m not really a vocal person, but I had to learn and grow into that role and I’m thankful for these guys for helping me do so.”
The Leadership Syracuse Needs
With Freeman expected back soon and a handful of other capable scorers on the roster, Starling doesn’t need to be the guy taking 15 shots a night. What Syracuse needs from him is harder to quantify - but just as valuable.
They need his experience. His voice.
His defense. His resilience.
They need him to be the glue.
“Every good team has to have a leader,” Autry said. “He’s our leader.”
And that may be the biggest stat of all.