L
ast season, Jim Boeheim called Judah Mintz one of the greatest freshman point guards he ever had. But last spring, professional scouts told Mintz that he needs to work on his perimeter shooting before transitioning to the NBA.
After making the ACC All-Freshman Team last season, Mintz announced on Instagram in March that he would enter his name into the 2023 NBA draft and maintain his college eligibility. Over seven months later, Mintz’s Instagram post is gone. On May 31, Mintz withdrew his name from the draft, announcing he would come back to Syracuse for the upcoming season.
Mintz returns to SU with a new head coach and a chance to increase his draft stock. In the summer, Mintz practiced at various camps and at his old high school to improve on his shooting deficiencies. He’s had shooting success while he played for Oak Hill Academy (Va.), Gonzaga College High School (Washington D.C.) and on the AAU circuit. But now, with another year at Syracuse, Mintz is looking to prove himself.
“(I was) really just trying to make it, I was trying to make it to the NBA,” Mintz said. “But I was really just focused on what was ahead of me.”
In May, an anonymous NBA Western Conference scout told syracuse.com that Mintz’s outside shooting was a concern for every team. An Eastern Conference scout added that Mintz was still learning how to play point guard.
“He didn’t shoot it very well from (the 3-point line) at Syracuse, but he did improve throughout the year,” the Western Conference scout told syracuse.com. “You assume he can continue to improve, but the question is how fast or when will you see that improvement?”
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Mintz shot 30.3% from beyond the arc last year. He ranked last among the five Syracuse players (along with Joe Girard III, Justin Taylor, Benny Williams and Chris Bell) who attempted at least 40 3-pointers.
The scout noted Mintz’s improvement during the final month of the season, albeit at a low volume. In the Orange’s lone ACC Tournament game against Wake Forest, Mintz went 2-for-3 on 3-pointers and went 4-for-4 against Clemson. Despite the scouts’ comments, Mintz already wanted to work on those aspects of his game.
“I mean they really wanted to see if I could play defense obviously and make shots, be more efficient, all things I would’ve said myself,” Mintz said. “Ultimately that’s what I’ve been working on this summer.”
Mintz practiced during the summer with his childhood best friend and George Mason guard Devin Dinkins. The two practiced at Gonzaga High School — Mintz’s high school before transferring to Oak Hill Academy. Dinkins said the duo attempted 500 3-pointers during workouts along with working on long 2-pointers.
As the friends trained, Dinkins noticed the key differences in their perimeter shooting. With Mintz’s jumpshot, Dinkins said, there’s much more elevation, whereas Dinkins has a quick release.
Mintz also attended both the Nike Skills Academy in Portland, Ore. and the CP3 Elite Guard Camp in Los Angeles, Calif. with scouts in attendance over the summer. Mintz put together a highlight reel that was posted on various social media outlets. In the reel, Mintz showed off his pick-and-roll game, while also taking some corner 3s.
After Mintz showed him the clips, Dinkins said Syracuse’s point guard is more confident this year. At ACC Media Day in Charlotte, Mintz said he was “angry” about SU being placed in a lower tier than years past. Dinkins’ conversations with Mintz, which typically amount to inside jokes and motivational texts, reflect that anger and confidence.
“He says he’s ready to dominate this year, and get some wins and go pretty far this year,” Dinkins said.
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At Gonzaga, playing under head coach Stephen Turner, Mintz and his shooting didn’t immediately stand out on a Division-I laden roster that eventually won the state championship. But as Mintz became a starter, Turner said Mintz caused crowds to “ooh” and “aah” with his abilities. Turner believes his abilities, particularly in the long range game, will only get better.
“The one thing that continues to keep getting better for him is his shooting…it just keeps growing and growing,” Turner said. “And I think you’re gonna be surprised this year.”
Mintz previously practiced shooting with the AAU’s Team Durant under head coach Osman Bangura and then-head coach of Oak Hill, Steve Smith. Bangura preached a “read and react” philosophy where players follow the flow of the game, whether it’d be fast or slow paced.
Off of screens, Bangura said Mintz had the opportunity to perform a bump-and-fade, a basketball move mastered by LeBron James, while with Team Durant. Or when defenders are locking down the single and double gaps on the court, Mintz could go to the corner and shoot a corner 3. But Bangura emphasized that the flow of the game mattered in these situations, giving Mintz the freedom to react.
Mintz got competitive in four-on-four or five-on-five shooting drills, Smith said. He added Mintz always had a shot quota and always made it during practice.
“He shot a lot of 3s in practice,” Smith said. “Whether it was off the catch, coming off screens, off a dribble move…He shot pull ups, which he is very good at…that’s kind of what he’s known for offensively.”
Bangura said Mintz’s stronger skills include finishing at the rim, phenomenal footwork and aggressive defense. But when Bangura coaches players like Mintz, whose shooting needs improvement, he doesn’t want to minimize the skills that make the point guard great. Bangura believes Mintz’s shooting improvement will come from simply taking more shots.
“It wasn’t that he wasn’t a good shooter, he just didn’t shoot the ball as often as people would like,” Bangura said. “But when he shot the ball, I think he made shots.”
Smith shared a similar sentiment to Bangura, calling Mintz’s shooting “selective.” Smith said Mintz has the range to become a good shooter but doesn’t have a high shooting percentage.
Mintz has shown off strong perimeter shooting before. While playing for Oak Hill in December 2021, Mintz went 3-of-6 from 3 during a loss to IMG Academy. He kept the Warriors in the game with his 3-point shooting, at one point calling for the ball at the top of the key and nailing a shot with the shot clock winding down.
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He’s had similar performances at Syracuse, too. On Feb. 22 against Clemson, Mintz made two 3-pointers in the first half. He sank an open 3-pointer after Jesse Edwards drew three defenders and on his next attempt, he got open via an Edwards screen and drilled one from the right wing. Mintz made two more 3s in the second half, finishing the evening with a make from Clemson’s giant paw at center court.
According to Smith, Boeheim would tell Mintz not to shoot 3-pointers unless he was wide open. During the Clemson game, Mintz was open or partially open on all four attempts.
With a new head coach at Syracuse, though, Mintz has a new approach. Adrian Autry believes that Mintz’s abilities have only grown since the start of the offseason. Autry gives him confidence to shoot from distance, awarding him with compliments when he shot well, Mintz said.
Fellow SU guard JJ Starling said he gets “goosebumps” when he thinks about sharing the backcourt with Mintz. Mintz’s teammates know his talent, and with the compliments being dished out, it’s not a coincidence that Autry has noted an uptick in Mintz’s game.
“He’s improved a lot,” Autry said. “I think the one thing that everyone will see — in the way we play right now — is how disruptive he can be on a defensive side of the ball but he’s improved overall. Decision making, jump shot has improved. He’s just an improved player.”
Photograph taken by Aiden Groeling | Staff Photographer
Published on November 2, 2023 at 1:30 am
Contact Henry: henrywobrien1123@gmail.com
