Early Monday morning, Elijah Hughes became the third Syracuse basketball player in the last seven years to be named to the All-Atlantic Coast first team. That’s a feat accomplished by neither Tyus Battle nor Oshae Brissett, the two players who Hughes played a secondary role to in his first season as a contributor for the Orange.

Hughes recently scored his 1000th point at Syracuse and has come a long way from the overlooked prospect who spent much of his career as an under-the-radar role player.

Hughes still has the option to return to SU for his redshirt senior season, but NBA Draft experts have kept close attention to Hughes’ quick rise. The Daily Orange interviewed three NBA Draft experts on how real that attention is. Here is a breakdown of Hughes’ status as an NBA Draft prospect.

The Daily Orange: What is the first thing that stands out about Hughes?

Paul Biancardi, ESPN: “He has NBA (3-point) range right now. And that’s attractive to the NBA. The shot at that distance is not a problem. Now, there needs to be a consistency behind that long range that will come over the course of time. But the hard part, he already has down. He’s a very good straight-line driver with a lot of speed. So if you take that 3-point shot away — a lot of teams like to run him off the line — his ability to shot-fake or his ability just to grab it, sweep it across his body and go with a straight-line drive. Excellent speed. And then he has that athleticism to punch it down and finish.”

Matt Babcock, Babcock Hoops: “I did not have high expectations for this year’s Syracuse team prior to the season. They have done well, and I think a lot of credit needs to be given to Hughes. He has been impressive all season.”

Lorenzo Neri, L’Ultimo Uomo (Italy): Note from Writer — Neri had watched Hughes play live when the Orange took their preseason trip to Italy. “Back to last summer, the first thing that jumped about Elijah was the combination of power, agility and skills. He has this linebacker body type, strong with low center of gravity that allows him to play through contact and against bigger players.”

D.O.: What is his best and worst trait?

P.B.: “He’s actually best off the ball. I like him coming off screens. Coming from dribble penetration and kick to him. So, I think he’s best moving, cutting, coming off screens. He’d be fantastic at what they call a simple wide pin-down where he’ll just curl into the lane, catch it and shoot it. With all that said, his middle game needs work. The dribble pull-up. And then obviously the ability to get in the lane and shoot a floater off of one foot. That’s probably the next part that needs to step up. Because you’re going to be in the NBA. Because they’re going to take away what you do best, so you have to counter it.”

M.B.: “Hughes is an aggressive, well-rounded scorer. He has a strong, sturdy build, handles the ball well, and has deep range. He tends to have a quick trigger, which is something that often times comes along with being an assertive scorer. I do think he could improve his shot selection. However, it’s not overly concerning, as the role he is playing for Syracuse is to be ‘the guy’; they clearly want and need him to aggressively pursue scoring opportunities.”

L.N.: “(His body) is a truly valuable skill for the NBA level, especially if you think of his skillset. What concerns me about his NBA future are two things: shooting (technique and selection) and defense. He has touch but his catch point and his release point are really low, and he’s not the tallest guy for a wing position.”

D.O.: Anything that he needs to show more of?

P.B.: “Especially in the NBA, you’re not going to get to the rim very often. That pull-up jump shot, it’s important to get into that rhythm and the practice habits of taking that shot. And the only way you take it is by practicing it. So that you get comfortable in it.”

M.B.: “Aside from his shot selection and just some basic decision-making, which can be said of just about any player at this stage in their career, there isn’t really one specific thing that I’d like to see from him. I think he has room for growth all around as any player does, but for the most part he is a pretty well-rounded player without any glaring weaknesses.”

L.N.: “He too often settles for the contested mid- and long-range jumper instead of attacking from the dribble, using his strength. I think that the shot selection and the defense adaptability certainly has something to do with (SU head coach Jim) Boeheim’s style of play on both ends of the floor.”

D.O.: Where would you expect to see him picked?

M.B.: “It’s an interesting time of the year in regards to projecting draft picks, as we are not certain exactly which players will return to school. Hughes is a player that we have not included in our mock draft up to this point, but if he does decide to be in this year’s draft, I would say that he would have a very good chance of being a second-round draft pick.”

L.N.: “In the end, I think he has the potential to be a good rotation player in the NBA. Maybe some team could spend a second-round pick on him… maybe he’s going to fight for a spot on an NBA team through Summer League, Training Camps and GLeague.”

More notes:

• Biancardi noted that Hughes’ passing is an “underrated” aspect of the Syracuse forward’s game: “I think when you watch his shot, you don’t think about him passing, but he’s a guy who can really pass the ball.”
• Biancardi also addressed the size question: Whether or not Hughes’ 6-foot-6 height causes concern over what position he will play at the next level. He said that won’t be an issue: “They draft you based on what you do, not what you can’t do. And they figure out how to plug you into their system.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Published on March 10, 2020 at 9:48 pm

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