Syracuse basketball star Elijah Hughes rises up NBA Draft boards

Former Syracuse basketball star Elijah Hughes has seen positive trends around his name in NBA Draft boards. Here’s what that means for the Orange standout.

Elijah Hughes graced Jim Boeheim Court for two seasons with the Syracuse basketball program. Now, the NBA Draft prospect has his eyes set on the next level. And if mock drafts and big boards are any indication, he’s already off to a good start.

It would be hard to miss Hughes’ name if you know anything about Syracuse basketball over the past two seasons. After sitting a year per NCAA transfer rules, he helped the Orange reach the 2019 NCAA Tournament, averaging 13.7 points per game and 4.3 rebounds along the way. Then, after the departures of Tyus Battle and Oshae Brissett, Hughes took a huge leap this past season, putting up an ACC leading 19.0 points, to go along with 4.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. Game in and game out he stuffed the stat sheets, all while playing so much under control that at times it looked easy for him.

Then, on April 20, Hughes announced that his time at Syracuse is done and he would be keeping his name in the NBA Draft. This came after his originally decision was met with questions of if he was just testing the waters in the draft process. While Syraucse fans everywhere were sad to see him leave the program, everyone knows his ultimate goal is to reach the NBA, and now is the time to do it.

His name has appeared all over NBA Draft big boards and mock draft, and two recent ones shed light on both his potential and downfalls.

The first one, posted by CBS Sports, listed Hughes as the 22nd ranked prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft Class. To my knowledge, this has been the highest Hughes has been ranked in any of the major sites that cover the NBA Draft.

What sticks out most about this ranking, is that Hughes is the highest rated upperclassman on the big board. All 21 prospects above him are either freshmen, sophomores, or international players. The next junior doesn’t come until Michigan State’s, Xavier Tillman, who checks in at 26th. Grant Riller of Charleston is the first senior, ranked 37th overall.

This obviously really speaks to Hughes’ abilities, to not only be regarded as a potential first round pick, but also to be rated that high in a draft where younger players normally get all the love. However, this really doesn’t come as much surprise. At 6-feet-6, 215 pounds, he has tremendous size to be a shooting guard at the next level. And skill wise, he can stroke from deep, drive to the line, rebound well, facilitate when needed, and has good ball skills. Defensively, he was a key part of the Syracuse 2-3 zone, averaging over a steal per game last season. Simply put, he has a lot to offer, and serves as a guy that NBA teams can count on to produce, instead of drafting solely based on potential.

However, not all draft experts see him the same way. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman recently posted an article on his top 50 NBA Draft prospects in 2020, writing a little bit on each guy. Hughes slotted in at just 48th, and Wasserman had this to say on the Syracuse guard:

"Pros: A 6’6″, 215-pound wing, Hughes broke out to average 19.0 points, scoring on and off the ball. His 4.0 points per game out of isolation ranked No. 4 in the country, but he also graded in the 85th percentile out of spot-ups, mostly by making catch-and-shoot threes.Cons: Hughes struggled with decision-making and execution as a pick-and-roll ball-handler (21st percentile). He often settled for jumpers and showed limited feel in the paint with his runner (5-of-21) and finishing (53.6 percent)."

Now obviously, that’s still some high praise for Hughes. 48th isn’t first-round material, but still means that Hughes would get drafted. And the isolation and spot-up stats show Hughes’ ability to hit threes at a high rate and in different ways.

However, the cons can be something that Hughes loses right when he steps foot in the NBA. His rankings as a decision-maker and pick-and-roll ball-handling might just be from the fact that he was by far the number one option for Syracuse basketball last season. As a freshman, Joe Girard III didn’t really mold into his self until the second half of the season, while Buddy Boeheim wasn’t ready to be the go-to guy yet. After them, the frontcourt lacked a true scorer, with most points there coming off of lobs and one-on-one situations. In other words, this was Hughes’ team.

In the NBA, it will not be Hughes teams, at least not to start. He’d most likely serve as a role player off the bench, meaning you may see him pass up open looks to find better looks for the team. Now to Wasserman’s credit, his runners could use some work. However, Hughes often traveled into the paint smothered by defenders, which most likely wouldn’t be his role or the case at the next level.

While the CBS Sports article seems to have Hughes on the high end, and Bleacher Report’s on the low end, I’d gravitate somewhere in the middle. Hughes carried Syracuse basketball on his back for a lot of last season, showing his star power and impact. He still does have a lot to work on however, and would probably best be suited as a late first rounder or early second round pick. Either way, the former Orange star will soon hear his name called by Adam Silver (whether live or through a Zoom call), and that will make every Syracuse basketball fan proud.