Syracuse Basketball: Tyus Battle ‘disappoints’ at NBA Combine

Former Syracuse basketball star Tyus Battle apparently didn’t look his best at the NBA Combine. ITLH breaks down the news and what’s to come.

The NBA Combine runs from May 16th through May 20th. Although the rest of the combine for former Syracuse basketball star Tyus Battle will be private interviews and tests.

According to Syracuse.com, Tyus Battle has wrapped up his ‘visible work’ at the NBA Combine. Which means everything else we hear will no longer be based on what we see, but what we hear, which could be even more important.

Before we get into what we’ve heard, let’s get into the facts jack via Donna Ditota:

• “Battle played in the second scrimmage of the day and scored one bucket, going 1-for-5 overall and 0-for-1 from the 3-point line.”
•  “Battle made a significant amount of stationary shots from that distance (80 percent from all but one spot).”

Overall it seems like it was a ‘mixed bag’ for Battle in the early stages of the NBA Combine. With one NBA Draft Analyst in Jonathan Wasserman suggesting that Battle was a ‘disappointment’:

That same critic would later go on to suggest that Battle ‘was practically invisible’ at the NBA Combine. Again before Syracuse fans start celebrating, let’s take into account what Battle’s dad said to the Post Standard not too long ago:

"“Gary Battle said Tyus ultimately isn’t that concerned with where NBA teams might select him. His decision rests solely on whether he wanted to play professional basketball next season or whether he wanted to return to Syracuse.”"

So how much does this Combine really mean to Tyus?

It’s a fair question to ask. I think the true answer is, the Combine provides Battle more time to think on this decision. I mean he waited nearly to the last minute to decide if he’d even put his name in the ring to go to the combine after-all.

An underrated, yet important nugget of information is his desire to get his degree. He’s in a position to finish school in year No. 3, if he so chooses. Which would provide plenty of motivation (outside of basketball) to return to school for his Junior term.

His family prefers he stays at Syracuse to get his education plus build up his resume for what appears to be a much weaker 2019 NBA Draft class. With all that being said, my gut tells me that Battle is coming back.

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He got a taste of the Syracuse March Madness this past season advancing all the way to the Sweet 16. With much improved depth and another year under his belt, Battle knows how special this Syracuse team could be next year if he returns. If he wishes to procrastinate, he can wait until May 30th at midnight to reveal his intentions on his future. Battle watch is less than two weeks from its’ conclusion and we’ll keep you covered right here on ITLH.