Nate Kingz is becoming the 3-point threat Syracuse envisioned: ‘He’s dynamite’
Nate Kingz drained a season-high five 3-pointers in Syracuse’s win over Notre Dame. As ACC play progresses, Kingz has become the elite 3-point threat the Orange envisioned. Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor
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Nate Kingz tries to stay away from it. But because of how important it is for his role, his 3-point numbers can swirl through his head in-game.
If he’s 2-of-4, he feels the next one is going through the net. But if he’s 1-of-3, Kingz said there’s pressure along the line of: S–t, next one you gotta make it.
Kingz admits he’s trying to be better at maintaining a “keep shooting mentality” no matter what. On Saturday, the senior shooting guard was in the latter situation, where at times, he feels he needs to make his next one.
That fourth 3-pointer was drilled, and after attempting an additional six shots from beyond the arc, Kingz finished with five 3s en route to a game-high 28 points in Syracuse’s (13-9, 4-5 Atlantic Coast) 86-72 win over Notre Dame (11-11, 2-7 Atlantic Coast). Kingz’s five triples tied a season high, helping the Orange snap their four-game losing streak.
A season after draining 44.6% of his 3-pointers while attempting 4.2 per game at Oregon State, Kingz started his SU tenure slowly from beyond the arc. But as ACC play has progressed, Kingz has lived up to the billing as the elite 3-point threat the Orange envisioned when they rebuilt their roster.
“Something I prided myself on today was like, ‘It don’t matter. Don’t be scared to shoot because you miss a couple, just keep shooting,’” Kingz said postgame.
While Kingz was struggling from beyond the arc to start the year, he said, “Just got to get the confidence back, and you know, I’ll get it back,” following a 1-of-5 3-point shooting performance against Drexel. Over the next four games, including three in the Players Era Festival, Kingz shot 6-of-22 (27.3%) from beyond the arc.
SU head coach Adrian Autry backed him after the Orange were dismantled by Iowa State, saying “there’s no doubt” Kingz would get it going from deep. The redshirt senior finished nonconference play strongly, shooting 13-of-32 (40.6%) from 3 across six games.
He’s since kicked it into another gear in conference play, as his 21 3-pointers across nine ACC games tie the 21 he made across 12 nonconference games.
“I thought the ball moved a lot, but I also thought (Kingz) was really more aggressive when he touched it,” Autry said after the win.
The ball movement played a key role in Kingz’s success, as all five of his 3-pointers came off of assists (four from Naithan George and one from J.J. Starling). Despite claims from Autry earlier in the season that “nothing was wrong” with the Orange’s offense, ball movement has been a glaring issue throughout the season.
Nate Kingz’s 28 points versus the Fighting Irish Saturday was the most he’s scored in a game since he recorded 29 points against Laramie County Community College for the College of Southern Idaho on Nov. 29, 2022. Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor
Even after George racked up 10 assists and SU finished with 21 against ND, it’s only assisting 49.2% of its made field goals, ranking 274th in the country. And with the ball moving arguably the best it has all season, Kingz simultaneously had his best performance from beyond the arc since transferring to Syracuse.
“Kingz is a phenomenal shooter, and that’s what I came here for,” George said.
In Donnie Freeman’s eyes, the Orange used the Fighting Irish’s principles against them. SU’s leading scorer, who surprisingly came off the bench and scored seven points on Saturday, explained ND is a heavy in the gap team.
This means that when opponents drive inside against Notre Dame, its defense steps over into the paint, which opens up clean looks — which Kingz doesn’t often get — from 3-point range. Maybe not the best strategy against a team with one of the prolific shooters in the conference.
“He’s dynamite. He’s just as good as anybody,” Freeman said.
When Kingz sees two or three triples go in, he explained he starts feeling “really good.” At that point, he doesn’t have to pay attention to the numbers that sometimes creep into his mind.
For the Orange’s season to continue regaining life, they’ll need Kingz to keep shooting 3s. Right now, the numbers, as much as Kingz may want to stay away from them, say the shot is a high-percentage look.
