How good can Syracuse's defense be? William Kyle III will help answer

As we countdown to tipoff for the Syracuse basketball season beginning on Nov. 3, The Juice Online will be doing a player-by-player preview. Today, we look at Syracuse center William Kyle III.

William Kyle III was the first player the Orange added through the transfer portal, as they targeted the backup UCLA big man early in their offseason plans. Kyle arrives at Syracuse as a senior, having spent two seasons at South Dakota State of the Summit League before heading to the west coast for last year.

UCLA had a deep rotation last season with Kyle finishing tenth on the team in minutes while playing in 32 of 34 games. A significant portion of Kyle’s playing time evaporated when Big Ten play hit the schedule, as he played 124 minutes in nine non-conference games, but only 187 minutes in 23 games in conference play and the NCAA Tournament combined.

Going from UCLA to Syracuse was not Kyle's first change of destination

Kyle ended up with the Bruins as a result of two years of stellar play with South Dakota State. After being named to the Summit League All-Newcomer Team as a freshman, Kyle earned Defensive Player of the Year honors to go with being named the Summit League Tournament MVP. A large part of that came from his prowess in shotblocking, as he led the conference in block rate, and defensive rebounding.

That shotblocking followed Kyle to Los Angeles, as his block rate increased from 6.7 to 8.9 despite the increase in quality of play around him. Even more notable is that Kyle’s block rate in 23 games against top-100 rated opponents last season was even higher at 10.3, a mark that would have ranked 17th in the nation over a full season.

So, while Kyle is undersized to play center full-time in a major conference at 6’9”, his leaping ability helps him compete against higher-level competition. Being able to play beyond his listed height also paid off on the offensive glass, as Kyle logged a strong rate there, although it did fade some against better competition.

His defense is ahead of his offense, but Kyle stays within himself

Kyle has a limited offensive game, but he also stays within his skillset. He had a very low usage rate last season at UCLA, but was effective in his limited opportunities, the overwhelming majority of which came in the area immediately surrounding the basket. Of Kyle’s 38 field goals last season, 36 came at the rim, including 28 dunks, as he shot just over 70 percent from the field.

The restricted area is where most of Kyle’s skills are limited to while on the offensive end. He logged a low assist rate and passable turnover rate last season, but most concerning was his foul shooting. Kyle was just 17-of-43 (39.5 percent) from the line last year after he went 121-for-200 (60.1 percent) at the stripe while at South Dakota State.

Opponents certainly noticed Kyle’s struggles at the line and took advantage. Kyle’s free throw rate his first two seasons hovered around the mid-to-upper-30’s, but was 79.6 last season. The rate also increased as the quality of the opposition went up, as well.

Whistles followed Kyle on the offensive end, as well. While a significant part of his defensive awards as a sophomore came from his ability to defend without fouling, his foul rate jumped to 4.5 fouls per 40 minutes over the full season last year and 5.8 in Big Ten games. Kyle will need to find some balance between aggression and overagression.

All in all, Kyle should be a useful piece as part of a duo at center with Ibrahim Souare. Kyle, as the first of the pair to join the team, will likely get the first crack at the starting spot, but the minutes will probably be distributed close to a 50-50 split.

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