Tyus Battle, Syracuse’s best player over the past two seasons, has played his final game at SU. While unlikely, forward Oshae Brissett may have, too. He will reportedly test the NBA Draft waters. The Daily Orange spoke with several NBA scouts for their analysis of the Orange’s top two talents over the past two seasons. The NBA scouts requested to speak on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized by their respective teams to be named.

Tyus Battle
Year: Junior
Age: 21
Shooting guard
6-foot-6, 205 pounds

According to all major draft boards, Battle is not projected to be selected in June’s draft. That doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t sign with a team, or play in the G-League and try to earn an NBA spot from there. He also could sign a two-way contract, in which he’d spend the bulk of the season in the NBA G League and not more than 45 days with the NBA team.

Scouts characterize Battle as a quality college scorer who showed flashes of an ability to take over games. He scored 17.2 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting, compared with his sophomore season, in which he tallied 19.2 points per game on 39.9 percent shooting. Scouts said his ball-handling improved since his freshman season. His shot wavered. His passing is above-average.

“You wish he was as aggressive as he was in the Duke game — every game,” said an Eastern Conference scout. “His jumper isn’t there. Defensively, because of the zone, you don’t know too much. In the combine last year, he wasn’t aggressive. He’s not assertive. He won’t assert himself and that’s concerning. If he does go undrafted, he could have a fresh start. But he’s just not wired to be aggressive, because he’s very laid back, almost to a detriment.”

“This was supposed to be the year you come back and dominant,” the scout added. “It’s not all his fault. The Syracuse offense doesn’t really allow for that.”

“Tyus’ shot got better, and it was getting better,” another scout said. “Then it got worse. It was an issue his freshman year. Then it got better. Last year, it got worse, then better. It fluctuates too much. He’s very inconsistent. I can’t figure out what it is with his shot. It’s tough as you get older to change your shooting mechanics because of muscle memory.”

Last year, Battle entered his name into the NBA Draft process, went through the pre-draft combine but then pulled his name without signing an agent to return to SU. Some NBA mock drafts projected he’d be a late second-round selection. Instead, he came back to Syracuse, where he finished with 1,647 career points, 16th in program history.

“Look, he should have gotten a lot better this year,” the first scout said in January. “He goes back, he should have taken a big step. Now he’s shooting worse. By all means, Tyus could go undrafted, but get signed on the right team and dominate. He could really have a great time. But he never should have gone back. He’s already not a great fit at Syracuse. Maybe, he gets drafted.”

Oshae Brissett
Year: Sophomore
Age: 20
Forward
6-foot-8, 210 pounds

Brissett arrived at Syracuse two years ago as the No. 1 recruit from Canada in his class. He immediately started as a freshman, averaging 14.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. His numbers dipped slightly this season to 12.4 points and 7.5 boards per game.

A scout told The Daily Orange in November at Madison Square Garden that Brissett’s projected draft stock had dipped from 33rd to 80th, a likely drafted prospect. Several scouts said they hadn’t seen improvement from his first year to his second, and his ability to finish around the rim was concerning.

“He’s having a questionable year,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “He doesn’t move well enough. Can he shoot and defend? You don’t trust his shot or consistency shooting.”

“He can’t handle the ball. He looks the part, but he’s very limited in what he can do,” the scout added. “I don’t know what the substance is there with him.”

Brissett said his primary focus this offseason will be to upgrade his ball-handling. He wants to get to the rim with more ease — and finish. He wants to be a better facilitator from the high post, where he became more comfortable as the season wore on and his perimeter shooting dropped. He also said he wants to more smoothly transition from the dribble to his shot in the pull-up jumper range.

Given he isn’t a projected NBA pick, it’s increasingly likely Brissett returns for at least one more season at SU. As one of two returning starters (forward Elijah Hughes), he’d have plenty of opportunities to grow and show scouts the potential he flashed as a freshman in the NCAA Tournament.

“Next year I want to be the guy who can rebound, score and pass,” Brissett said following SU’s season-ending loss to Baylor in the NCAA Tournament. “I want to be a triple-double guy.”

Published on March 29, 2019 at 5:01 pm

Contact Matthew: [email protected] | @MatthewGut21