When Paschal Chukwu makes his Syracuse debut, he’ll protect the rim with floor-scraping length and provide frontcourt depth that eluded the Orange last season.

Chukwu stands 7 feet, 2 inches and is built to stand in the middle of Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone. It will take some fine-tuning, on the court and in the weight room, to get him ready on both ends of the floor. But, unfortunately for SU’s immediate future, the Orange will have time to develop Chukwu as he sits out the 2015-16 season after transferring from Providence.

The transfer year will help Chukwu moving forward, but it does nothing to quell concerns surrounding Syracuse’s lack of depth at center. Dajuan Coleman, the only SU center with marginal college experience,  hasn’t played a game since Jan. 7, 2014 and missed all of last season recovering from knee surgery.

After Coleman, the Orange’s only other scholarship center is Chinonso Obokoh, who stands at 6 feet, 9 inches and is starting his second active season with Syracuse. Obokoh played sparingly in place of Rakeem Christmas last season, and didn’t showcase an ability to contribute on the offensive end. He looks to be the center that will relieve Coleman if he’s in foul trouble. That’s troubling for an SU team that will face a number of talented frontcourts this season.

Freshman Tyler Lydon and junior Tyler Roberson, both 6-foot-8 forwards, could be emergency options at center, but neither is really suited for the position. Lydon weighs just 205 pounds and promises to effectively stretch the floor as a forward. Roberson doesn’t have the length to play forward and center, and his rebounding ability mostly depends on his athleticism.

Aside from being a first-team all-conference center last year, Rakeem Christmas covered up Syracuse’s thin front court by playing 34.3 minutes per game. Even if Coleman is able to stay out of foul trouble in most contests — which will define SU’s production at center in 2015–16 — there’s no way the Orange can expect him to play those kinds of minutes.

And when Coleman’s off the floor Obokoh, and whoever else SU may plug in at center, will need to play well-beyond expectations to make Chukwu’s transfer year a little less frustrating.