Chicago Bulls: 5 options for pick No. 22 in 2018 NBA Draft

4. Tyus Battle, SF/SG — Syracuse

After completing his sophomore season at Syracuse, Tyus Battle has decided to test the waters to see where he may land in the NBA Draft. The consensus about Battle is that he has an NBA-level body and has never met a shot he didn’t like.

The question is: Does he have what it takes to be effective at the next level? Let’s take a look at the tale of the tape.

Positives:

• Good size. Stands at 6’6” with a wingspan of 6’9”.
• Capable scorer. Averaged 19.2 points per contest and he increased his production in rebounding, assists and free throw shooting from the numbers he posted in his freshman season.
• Solid spot-up 3-point shooter and has a quick release.
• Ability to keep defenders off balance via hesitations and crossovers.
• Crafty finisher around the rim.
• Has the potential to be a multi-positional defender. He and teammate Franklin Howard helped the Orangemen finish with the fifth-best defensive rating in the country.

Negatives:

• Has a tendency to dribble the basketball a lot – a definite no-no in Fred Hoiberg’s offensive scheme.
• Settled for a high volume of contested mid-range shots, which more than likely contributed to his 39.9 percent conversion rate from the field.
• Not a great 3-point shooter. Knocked down just 32.2 percent of his attempts from deep.
• Not an elite rebounder. Averaged 2.9 boards per outing.

When you look at the numbers, aside from scoring, there isn’t too much that stands out about Battle’s body of work. On the other hand, he is considered to be a decent defender (1.5 steals per outing), even though Syracuse utilized a 2-3 zone scheme.

Also, considering that he would have a coach in Fred Hoiberg who knows a thing or two about improving both shot mechanics and shot selection, it would only be a matter of time before Battle would eventually get to the point where he could contribute at both ends of the floor.