Syracuse Basketball: Elijah Hughes trending up in some mock drafts

See where former Syracuse basketball star Elijah Hughes resides on various 2020 NBA Draft boards, with the annual event almost here.

The 2020 NBA Draft is less than a week away, and former Syracuse basketball wing Elijah Hughes will get selected in one of the two rounds, unless something odd transpires.

With the 2020 NBA Draft expected to occur on Wednesday, Nov. 18, I figured it might prove timely to review a range of numerous mock drafts and prospect rankings to see where the experts view the 6-foot-6 Hughes, who can suit up at shooting guard and small forward.

The Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading scorer in 2019-20, Hughes is arriving anywhere from the late first round to the middle of the second round. It would shock me if he isn’t among the 60 guys chosen in the 2020 NBA Draft.

As we detailed in a recent piece, NBA Draft analyst and former pro agent Matt Babcock of Babcock Hoops has Hughes going at No. 23 in the first round to the Utah Jazz.

On nbadraftroom.com, Hughes is arranged at No. 28 in the first round, heading to the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that won the most recent NBA championship.

Two Web sites, cbssports.com and nbadraft.net, are projecting Hughes to go in the second round, at No. 36 overall, to the Philadelphia 76ers.

ESPN lists Hughes as the No. 44 overall prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft, as well as the No. 7 shooting guard. He is the No. 49 prospect, according to tankathon.com.

Finally, si.com earlier this week published its final top-80 prospect rankings, with Hughes coming in at No. 53. Here’s what si.com had to say about the former Syracuse basketball star in a write-up.

"“Hughes supplies just enough scoring, playmaking and shooting on the wing to think he’ll crack a roster next season. He’s not elite in any one area, and it’s tricky to assess him defensively in Syracuse’s zone, but Hughes is a solid athlete and finds ways to impact the game beyond scoring. He’s a streaky shooter and isn’t big for his position, but in a more complementary role, he could feasibly be a bench piece somewhere. But he’ll have to fit in as a less ball-dominant player and find other ways to add value. Hughes is an intriguing two-way contract candidate or second-round option.”"

I agree with some of these thoughts, but certainly not all of them. To me, Hughes is a first-round prospect, and he absolutely showed a season ago how he can influence a game beyond his scoring. His play-making for teammates and rebounding proved strong, for example.