Growing pains were expected after a major roster turnover for the Florida State men's basketball team, which returned just four players from the 2023-24 season.

The Seminoles have shown impressive athleticism and the capability to frustrate opponents on the defensive end, picking up five of seven wins by double digits. The downside has been the inconsistency shown in early December losses at LSU (85-75) and at NC State (84-74 in overtime). The games were competitive most of the way, but not in the final minutes as the Tigers pulled away and days later FSU's lack of scoring depth (as well as Malique Ewin fouling out) limited the Seminoles in overtime.

"I'm concerned about our consistency and just about all phases of what we are doing," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said in an interview with the Osceola on Thursday. "I understand why we're not where we would like to be. I'm having a better understanding of what it's like to almost be like starting over and trying to get back to the efficiency where we've been when we've had our better teams. I'm reminded that we always had six or seven veterans returning for the new first- and second-year players to emulate."

Hamilton was often critical in reflecting on FSU's first 10 games, a 7-3 start before a break for exams and Saturday's game against Tulane (5-6) at Sunrise, Fla., in the Orange Bowl Classic (4:30 p.m. on ACC Network). Perhaps that's natural given FSU went into a big week with high expectations in road games only to fall short.

The criticism is Hamilton's natural instinct, seeing the Seminoles' growth but also their potential going into the final two non-conference games before the ACC slate takes over.

"We are almost doing everything correct," Hamilton said. "It's more thinking going on right now on offense and defense than reacting and playing instinctively. And that's what our biggest challenge is."

Updates: FSU vs. Tulane on Saturday

Jamir Watkins has struggled as a 3-point shooter (27.3 percent), but he is averaging 17.7 points and 4.8 rebounds. Watkins' return brought FSU stability, and he is indeed FSU's leading scorer while also being a slasher and picking up 16 steals and 17 assists.

Malique Ewin has scored in double figures in seven straight games and is averaging 12.4 points while leading the team with 6.9 rebounds.

What concerns Hamilton is the lack of consistency in scoring from FSU's rotational players. We've seen it in spurts from Daquan Davis, Chandler Jackson, Justin Thomas, Taylor Bol Bowen and Jerry Deng, but Hamilton wants to see it with regularity.

"We have two guys, Malik and Jamir, that are really scoring, but we need eight points over here, 11 points over here, six over there, and so we have to find a way to balance everything to where we win games by committee," Hamilton said. "We've never been able to win games by just two people, but we like to have nine different guys lead us in scoring over the course of the year, and we need more people to be involved in producing and being productive."

Aside from Watkins and Ewin, only Davis (vs. Temple and vs. Tarleton) and Bol Bowen (tied for the team lead in opener) have been the scoring leaders in a given game. With so many new pieces, it will take time for the newer Seminoles to be more comfortable in their decision-making.

"We need more consistency, and that comes with confidence and being able to react as opposed to thinking," Hamilton said. "And we still have so many guys still trying to adjust to the way we play."

Where does FSU need to improve, especially as the schedule gets tougher? The Seminoles have height and depth, but their true centers (Waka Mbatch) and (Alier Maluk) are inexperienced. Maluk reclassified, so he should still be a high school senior.

The Seminoles need to be more aggressive on the glass, and Hamilton agrees.

FSU has often struggled in shooting from the perimeter, making just 31.3 percent from 3-point range. In its three losses, FSU was 7 of 20 vs. UF, 6 of 19 at LSU and 3 of 16 at NC State.

"Somebody got to pass you the ball for you to get open three," Hamilton said. "That’s why ball movement is important."

FSU leads the ACC in steals (100) and blocks (51). The Seminoles have four players with 10 or more steals, led by Chandler Jackson (18) and Jamir Watkins (16). FSU has blocked five shots at least seven times, with Bol Bowen leading the way at 1.3 blocks per game.

If the defensive effort looks better, it's because it is compared to the last few teams. But Hamilton is also seeking improvement here, especially as the vast number of new players improve communication on the court and get used to the scheme.

"Even though we've been very active on defense, we have not been as sound as I would like to," Hamiltons aid. "We're creating deflections and steals, but we're not active in the gaps to keep people from taking us off the dribble and breaking our defense down. Little things like that just require teaching repetition over and over and over to the point where now you respond instinctively as opposed to thinking about, ‘Should I leave the shooter and shrink the gap? Should I shrink the gap?’ Vice versa.

"It's challenging, and we just need time. We just hope that we can continue to keep winning while we're trying to develop."

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