Getty Syracuse Orange guard Tyus Battle
The Syracuse Orange have a few intriguing potential future NBA draft prospects on their roster, and one name worth talking about is guard Tyus Battle. Although Battle is currently a junior, he’s grabbed some attention from NBA draft scouts and analysts as the college basketball season winds down.
The 2019 draft features a number of talented guards who also boast upside but will be direct competition for Battle if he heads to the pros. The 6-foot-6 guard has put together back-to-back seasons with decent scoring marks for Syracuse, averaging 19.2 points. Beyond that, he also tallied 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Battle’s scoring marks dropped to 17.2 points through 31 games this season, he increased his rebounds to 3.3 per game while averaging 2.5 assists. He also increased his overall field goal percentage as well to this point in the year.
Tyus Battle NBA Draft Projections & Mocks
While Battle has improved during the 2018-19 season, his projections are scattered by various analysts. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie released his pre-NCAA tournament mock draft and pegged him as the No. 55 pick while landing with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers would be an interesting fit for Battle and Vecenie makes a good point that the team could use the guard’s potential as a shooter.
The 76ers could use someone who can make shots. Battle would be interesting in that role if he can prove that he can impact the game on defense once he leaves Syracuse’s zone.
Battle is being largely projected as a second-round pick or an undrafted prospect. Regardless, there’s a strong likelihood that he’ll land on a G-League roster somewhere and receive a chance at the next level.
Tyus Battle NBA Draft Stock & Big Board Outlook
Battle has received some love on big boards for the draft, pointing to the fact that the pre-draft workouts could be big for him. Specifically, The Athletic and Vecenie have him as the No. 62 overall prospect. This has him just ahead of Utah State’s Neemias Queta, Vanderbilt’s Aaron Nesmith and Nebraska’s James Palmer.
In a similar ranking, ESPN’s “best available” for the draft has Battle listed as the No. 63 prospect. This is ahead of one of the nation’s top scorers in Hofstra guard Justin Wright-Foreman as well as Kansas guard Devon Dotson.
Not everyone is quite as high on Battle as these sites, though. A number of draft projections left the Syracuse guard off altogether. Obviously, that could change quickly, especially if he proves capable of being a consistent shooter at the next level. Battle certainly has legitimate upside and should be a name to watch as the NBA draft draws closer.
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