Nets 2018 NBA Draft prospect: Tyus Battle

After an impressive two-year run with the Syracuse Orange, Tyus Battle has decided to declare for the 2018 NBA Draft. Battle is an under the radar shooting guard and would be a great selection for the Brooklyn Nets with the 29th pick.

Tyus Battle has announced he will enter the 2018 NBA Draft but will not hire an agent. Battle’s decision to enter the NBA draft was a “small surprise” for the Syracuse Orange. He has the NBA body but is not quite fully NBA ready. Despite not being fully NBA ready, Battle deserves some attention to be the Brooklyn Nets 29th overall pick.

Offensive End

Battle struggled to show his full potential during his freshman year with the Orange. Although he did not show his full potential offensively, he was very efficient. Battle was a great role player as a freshman and helped facilitate the ball. He was not the top offensive weapon, however. Battle was the third option behind Tyler Lydon, who now plays for the Denver Nuggets, and Andrew White of the Atlanta Hawks.

The 6’6 shooting guard showed confidence when shooting the ball and was effective when driving to the basket. He helped lead Syracuse to a 19-15 record averaged 11.3 points per game.

Battle thrived during his sophomore year on the offensive end. He was one of Syracuse’s most lethal weapons and showed his full potential.

During the regular season, Battle was an unpredictable shooting guard. He was a dangerous threat to opposing defenders leaving them on their heels.

He has success shooting the three ball with confidence. Battle shot 32.2 percent from three during his sophomore season and was a clutch shooter. Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim wanted the ball in Battle’s hands when the team needed a basket.

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The Orange shooting guard worked best on offense when driving to the rim. When doing so, his motive was to draw contact and end the play with an and-one. To go along with his and-one motive, he would either throw up acrobatic lay-ups or dunks that would electrify the Carrier Dome crowd.

Battle is a strong shooting guard who is brilliantly unpredictable on the offensive end. He ended his sophomore year averaging 19.2 points per game

Defensive End

On the defensive end, Battle was one of Syracuse’s top defenders. He played tight defense with high intensity. He used his length to cover a great amount of the back-court. His length would help restrict opposing teams to pass the ball down low.

The Orange guard is also very communicative on the defensive end. His leadership to that effect was a huge contribution to Syracuse’s organized 2-3 zone defense.

Battle is a huge steal threat for opposing teams due to his length and his defensive technique. He rarely gave his opponent room to move the ball and shoot. Battle averaged 1.4 steals per game during his two-year run with the Orange.

How he fits with the Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets are one of the youngest teams in the NBA who thrive developing players. Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson is a player development specialist. Atkinson does a brilliant job helping guards take the next step. He did a great job developing Joe Harris, who’s game is quite similar to Battle’s. Battle is not quite NBA ready. He is close but needs to work on decision making. Atkinson would help Battle become NBA ready and patch the small holes in his game.

The Brooklyn Nets also run a small ball offense similar to Boeheim’s offense. Battle wants the ball in his hands to score on offense. Atkinson focuses around his guard play to control the offense. The Syracuse guard’s game would work best under a small ball offense like Atkinson’s.

The 6’6 shooting guard is also a neighboring hometown player for Brooklyn. Battle grew up in Edison, New Jersey and played his high school basketball at St. Joseph’s in Metuchen, New Jersey. He then took his talents to Syracuse University so staying close to home is familiar to Battle.

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Brooklyn are also familiar with drafting Syracuse players. In 2015, the Nets selected Syracuse big man Chris McCullough with the 29th pick.

The Brooklyn Nets should seriously consider drafting Battle with the 29th overall pick if he is still on the board. Battle is expected to be a late first round pick.