According to the junior, he now has the “answers to the test.”
While we were all waiting on pins and needles to find out whether or not Tyus Battle would return to the Syracuse Orange, last year’s leading scorer was busy taking in all of the knowledge he could while working out for NBA scouts.
As he told Syracuse.com’s Mike Waters, he now has “the answers to the test,” so to speak.
That’s an encouraging sign for the player who will have a large stake in how far SU can go this year. After 2018’s surprise run to the Sweet 16 despite squeaking into the NCAA Tournament, there’s still more this experienced (virtually everyone returns) group can do.
For Battle, that starts with more consistency and efficiency, which can come from a lower usage rate. Last year, he played more minutes on average than any player in the country. He was also the biggest scoring threat and was depended on more than any other Orange contributor in crunch time.
Time with scouts allowed him to receive valuable insights into how to improve, and those can hopefully be imparted onto his game for this coming season. While we focus on the evaluation part of things for NBA Draft hopefuls on their way to the league, that doesn’t necessarily force players to go. For Battle and others that opted to return, it’s a chance to get a rare glimpse of professional feedback and training while you’re still in college.
If Battle improves for 2018-19, it gets harder and harder to keep enthusiasm in check for Syracuse this year (not necessarily a bad thing).
That, plus the rest of our Syracuse-related links below:
How NBA workouts helped Syracuse guard Tyus Battle: ‘I’ve got the answers to the test’ (Syracuse.com)
“There was definitely a lot of growth,’’ Battle said in an interview on Tuesday. “It was just a great experience to live that lifestyle. I worked out every day. I got in my recovery. I ate good meals. It was a good time to absorb in the professional lifestyle.’’ What amounted to an NBA internship prepared Battle for his junior year at Syracuse.
