Syracuse, N.Y. - He described what was essentially his first game of the 2025-26 season as a disappointment.
JJ Starling, Syracuse's senior guard, had been sidelined since the opening minutes of opening night. An injury, described by SU officials as a "lower body" situation, kept him out of the Orange men's first three games.
On Tuesday in the JMA Wireless Dome, he started at shooting guard and played a total of 26 minutes. He scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting and made the only 3-pointer he attempted. He struggled at the free throw line, going 2-for-5 as the Orange worked to close out Monmouth, 78-73.
"I just know who I am, OK? And I know what I showed over the years. And injury or not, that wasn't me," Starling said. "I can do better to help the team, not even just offensively."
His coach and his teammates were more charitable.
Adrian Autry said he tried to limit Starling to "short stints" to acclimate him to the game. Starling said he'd been able to practice over the last couple weeks. But those workouts could not simulate actual game experience.
He said he felt physically capable out there, unimpeded by a mended leg.
"Overall, I thought his competitiveness took over and he wanted to push a little bit more," Autry said. "But I thought JJ was fine for the first time being out there for a while."
What Starling does best is attack the rim.
He accomplished that against Monmouth, though he acknowledged he could have been more aggressive. He took the first shot of the game, a layup he missed. He did not attempt another shot until the 6 minute, 36-second mark of the first half. That one, a lefty finish in the lane, went in.
Because Starling is so good at reaching the rim, he invariably gets fouled. Usually, that's a good thing. But on Tuesday night, he struggled to make free throws. He missed three of five. Two of those misses were airballs.
Starling resolved late Tuesday night to get into the gym on Wednesday, an off day for the Orange, to work on free throws. There will be moments this season, he said, when free throws can win (or lose) games. Syracuse shot 57.6% from the line against Monmouth.
Starling was a 68.5% free throw shooter last season. No SU player attempted more free throws than he did in 2024-25.
"I mean, there's sometimes when I'm just in my head. I don't know," he said when asked if he felt comfortable at the line. "So, I feel like I'm too good a player to do that. I need to just lock in mentally and like I said, be more focused and just be worried about what I do rather than think about a thousand different things."
Autry described shooting in general as "a lot of mental stuff." There's a delicate balance to addressing something like free throw shooting, he said. Mostly, the staff tries to get Starling as many reps as it can to ensure more success at the line.
"He'll be better. I'm not worried about that," Autry said. "He hasn't played in a couple days but I think he'll get back. He'll find his rhythm, his shooting rhythm."
Starling acknowledged there was rust to scrub off in his first game back.
He longed to be out on the basketball court for SU's first three games. But without that physical possibility, he watched and learned.
He saw how the rotations unfolded on defense. He recognized various reads on the offensive side of the ball. He tried to lend a vocal presence on the SU sideline.
On Tuesday, Starling experienced the difference between watching and playing. And if he wasn't pleased with his performance, he has these next few games to transform into the player he believes he is.
"These guys have had three games under their belt and they played tremendous and I was sidelined," he said. "So, it was just getting back into that groove and building chemistry back up with those guys after not having me on the court. So yeah, it was rust for sure."