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Syracuse Basketball: Elijah Hughes has caught the eye of NBA front offices

By Paul A. Esden Jr.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Quincy Guerrier #1 cheers on his teammate Elijah Hughes #33 of the Syracuse Orange after scoring a basket against the Florida State Seminoles during the game at the Donald L. Tucker Center on February 15, 2020 in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State defeated Syracuse 80 to 77. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Quincy Guerrier #1 cheers on his teammate Elijah Hughes #33 of the Syracuse Orange after scoring a basket against the Florida State Seminoles during the game at the Donald L. Tucker Center on February 15, 2020 in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State defeated Syracuse 80 to 77. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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Syracuse basketball stud Elijah Hughes has caught the eye of NBA front offices. Here are all the details and the latest on his NBA Draft stock.

Elijah Hughes went from the third or fourth option on the 2018-19 Syracuse basketball squad to leading the entire conference in scoring in 2019-20.

Elijah really spent the offseason evolving his game and preparing himself for the quantum leap in expectations.

With six games left in the Orange regular season, Hughes has clearly separated himself from the rest of the pack. Quite frankly if Elijah doesn’t score for the Orange this season, they lose. It’s been an unreal amount of pressure on the young man, but he’s handled it with class.

While that hasn’t necessarily led to great team success (14-11), Elijah’s play has caught the eye of NBA front offices.

"Per Pat McMahon of Basketball Society, “if Elijah does declare and stay in the draft this spring, he’ll go in with the reputation as one of the best scorers at the college level and as an elite athlete with the potential to be a really good defender. The inconsistent shooting and unknowns on defense may cause teams to pause and go with a safer pick, but I believe Elijah Hughes has done enough to hear his name called in the second round on draft night.”"

That narrative has been echoed in some recent NBA mock drafts.

NBA Draft Net currently has Elijah pegged as the 37th overall pick to the Detroit Pistons. Also interestingly they have him listed as a shooting guard.

ESPN NBA Draft Analyst Jonathan Givony didn’t have Elijah in his mock draft but did have Hughes listed as the 72nd best prospect. The NBA Draft is two rounds (60 total selections), so he’s just on the outside looking in.

Finally, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has Elijah Hughes going 52nd overall to the Atlanta Hawks in his latest NBA mock draft. Also on Twitter Vecenie recently stated that Hughes continues to make his case as a “legit wing prospect” in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft.

Next. Syracuse Basketball: Top 30 Players in School History. dark

Technically speaking Elijah Hughes still has a year of collegiate eligibility remaining. Although the whispers that are circulating suggest that Elijah will ride the momentum of his best collegiate season from a production standpoint to the 2020 NBA Draft.

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