Syracuse Basketball: Tyus Battle and Oshae Brissett are bound for 2019 NBA Draft’s first-round

Syracuse Basketball’s dynamic duo of Tyus Battle and Oshae Brissett will be undisputed first-round picks in the 2019 NBA Draft.

This past April, when Syracuse’s sophomore sensation, Tyus Battle, declared for the NBA Draft without hiring an agent, many were confident that the 20-year-old was a lock to return to Central New York for his third season under Jim Boeheim.

One month later, it appeared as if Battle was a lock to keep his name in the Draft.

Wednesday night marked the final time a player who had entered the draft without an agent’s opportunity to either keep their name in and commit to going pro, or withdraw their name, and go back to college.

Six hours before Battle had to make his decision, reports came out claiming that the prolific scorer from Edison, NJ was returning to Syracuse for his Junior season.

While many programs in the ACC lost the star players that kept them afloat in 2017, Syracuse’s five starters from the 2016-17 season, the guys that led them to an unprecedented Sweet 16 run, will all be back next season.

On Wednesday afternoon, Syracuse fans across the country were ready to accept the fact that they had just lost both Darius Bazley and Battle in a two-month span.

However, the shocking decision makes more than enough sense for Battle, who was most likely going to be selected in the late stages of the first-round, or in the second-round of the NBA Draft. Similarly, Oshae Brissett, who many already believe is ready for the NBA, also wisely chose to stay at least one more year with Syracuse.

Battle (All-ACC Second Team) and Brissett (ACC All-Freshmen Team) both earned All-ACC honors this past season, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the two of them on the first/second team next season, after playing against what many believe is a weaker 2019 NBA Draft class.

Battle, who will surely be selected in the first-round of the 2019 Draft as long as he avoids any major injuries or hiccups, should expect to see Brissett’s name called either before his or shortly afterward.

While Battle’s scoring output was good for the third-best in college basketball’s toughest conference, Brissett averaged just six fewer points as a rookie and will have the entire summer to bulk up in the gym and work on his mid-range shooting and three-point shooting.

Battle has in many people’s opinions, been one of the smartest athletes to ever come through Syracuse, and he’ll be rewarded accordingly. Battle, who defines what it means to be a true student-athlete, will now have the opportunity to receive his degree and graduate in three years.

Not only does the youngster have the opportunity to shine in year three of his college career and boost his draft stock, he also has a chance to graduate from the school in which he played for, something most NBA bound athletes never have the chance to do.

Battle and Brissett possess skill talents that are very rare. Battle, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, has effectively guarded both guards and forwards over the course of his two years at Syracuse while putting the ball in the basket in a variety of different ways since his Freshman year.

Wow…

Similarly, Brissett displayed the ability to guard virtually every position in his Freshman campaign under Jim Boeheim, while rebounding and scoring inside at the highest level. Brissett, who stands in at just 6-foot-8, showed the ability to guard some of the country’s best big men, and even showed flashes of dominance behind the three-point line throughout the season.

The Orange, for the second time in three years, made the NCAA Tournament by the skin of their teeth this past March. After the country was outraged by the fact that Syracuse made it, Battle and Brissett disproved the critics. Thanks to phenomenal play by the dynamic duo, the Orange, as a No. 11 seed in their bracket, took down No. 3 Michigan State, and made it to the Sweet 16 once again, where they gave Duke a run for their money.

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None of that would have been possible without exceptional efforts from their two best players, who will find themselves on NBA rosters in 2019. Good thing Central New York, and the fans that inhabit Syracuse on a weekly basis get to watch these two dominate the NCAA for one more year before hearing their names called next June.