In the first game since an offseason that promised to end a career-long weakness, Marek Dolezaj positioned himself between the baseline and the high-post. Virginia’s defenders rarely offered openings in SU’s season-opening loss Nov. 6, but a Dolezaj face-up, rip and a left-handed drive opened one.

But Dolezaj didn’t look at the rim. He never turned around fully. The 6-foot-10 quasi-point forward cocked back and swung a one-handed, no-look pass to Buddy Boeheim on the wing for an open 3-pointer.

“Just trying to find the open guy,” Dolezaj said after the loss.

But Dolezaj was hesitant to declare passing his biggest strength, even though until then he had dazzled with little more than that ability. There were some shots, some drives that the player Syracuse teammates have called “Magic Johnson” would not take.

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Dolezaj said he’s stronger, but the Orange have rarely seen him play strong. Twenty-two games later, he still gets pushed back on post-ups, still is bothered by the slightest bit of contact on his own offensive drives, but there’s now an essence of unpredictability. Over the last few years, Syracuse’s (14-9, 7-5 Atlantic Coast) big men have all been tabbed a similar miscue: too skinny, weak and not a natural fit at the five. Dolezaj simultaneously fits into that category, and rises above it. Though just 185 pounds, Dolezaj has mastered his body control in such a way that he can employ a powerful and patient post game, absorbing contact and finishing through it.

“He’s very difficult to guard,” head coach Jim Boeheim said after Syracuse’s loss to Duke. “If we find some way to get 20 pounds on him, it would be nice, but he’s still a good player.”

The balance of finesse and control around the rim has contributed to some of Dolezaj’s career-games in recent weeks. Against Duke — one of the best teams in the country — Dolezaj scored 22 points and has scored 15-plus points in two of his last four games for a perimeter-oriented SU team. After Dolezaj fouled out against Wake Forest, Syracuse lacked an inside presence and just barely escaped with a win.

Two years ago, like most big men new to Syracuse, Dolezaj’s rawness often masked occasional flashes. He had a team-high 17 points in the NCAA Tournament against TCU, but scored mostly on jump shots. Dolezaj’s ball skills had potential for a big man, evident with straight-line drives to the rim, but struggled to match the strength of sturdier players his height in the post.

In the first five weeks last summer, Dolezaj tried to add weight. It started in the weight room: When he first arrived on campus, he struggled to bench one repetition of 125 pounds, but built up to 145 this offseason and easily reaches six reps now. The result was a 10-12 pound weight gain that didn’t make him feel heavier, he said, but instead allowed the same quickness in a stronger frame.

Though Dolezaj’s strength has improved, it’s still seen as a slight weakness by opponents and the SU coaching staff. When Dolezaj wants a defender on the block to move, he dribbles with his head down — like a freight train breaking through a barrier on the tracks — and rarely chooses to operate with his back facing the rim.

Assistant coach Adrian Autry helped Dolezaj add simple maneuvers: pass and shot fakes to help Dolezaj strike defenders off-balance. Though simple, it has at times made matching Dolezaj against a smaller, quicker player a liability. His speed advantage remains when shifting around bigger defenders.

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“Sometimes he has a smaller guy on him, sometimes he has a bigger guy,” Autry said. “I’m just trying to give him something he’s comfortable with so he has a go-to.”

Sporting a black-eye sustained from going for a rebound in the Feb. 1 Duke loss — friendly fire from his interior neighbor Bourama Sidibe — Dolezaj said it all depends on the matchups. Notre Dame and Virginia don’t go for fakes. The young Blue Devils did and flew past him.

He’s learned when moves work and when they don’t throughout the season. And Dolezaj brings a different approach to each game.

When asked how easily he can identify a team he can fool, Dolezaj smirked and shook his head to dismiss the question.

“There’s a lot of ways I could improve,” he said.

Published on February 9, 2020 at 9:54 pm

Contact Michael: mmcclear@syr.edu | @MikeJMcCleary