With all of the noise around the NFL Draft this week, you’d be forgiven for not seeing much on the NBA Draft, which comes in June.
However, recent mock draft updates have been released, and Syracuse Orange guard Tyus Battle appears to be rising in most of them.
The Athletic has him as a first-rounder, going to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 24. Sam Vecenie had this to say about the potential pick:
“Portland has a tough offseason ahead of it. But one position they absolutely have to address is the wing, where the team really just doesn’t have enough talent. Battle would fit well as a shot-maker with size who could play next to both C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard in a variety of lineups. There’s some question about Battle’s passing ability and defense, but he was solid in both of these respects in a different scenario in high school. It’s possible his upside there is a bit better than expected.”
That “question about defense” is based on little more than prevailing lazy narratives about the 2-3 zone, but no matter. Battle still gets first round love here, even if the zone gets slandered (quietly) once again.
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