This shouldn’t surprise.
Syracuse Orange guard Tyus Battle has received his invite to the NBA Draft Combine, per 247Sports’ Mike McAllister, who spoke to Battle’s father.
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given where he’s starting to appear in some mock drafts. He’s now a first-rounder according to ESPN, the Athletic and Basketball Insiders. The NBA sends about 60 combine invites each year, and about 70 percent of those players end up getting picked (which makes sense, since there are 60 total picks). Recent Syracuse picks to receive invites and get drafted include Tyler Lydon, Malachi Richardson and Michael Gbinije.
As a sophomore this past year, Battle averaged 19.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while shooting 39.9 percent from the floor. While his 32.2 percent rate from three was lower than his freshman season, his free throw percentage rose all the way to 83.9.
Battle has yet to hire an agent. And while this invite is obviously a good sign for his potential selection, he could very well still wait until after the combine to get representation -- which would immediately make him ineligible to return to SU. The combine runs from May 16-20 in Chicago. Underclassmen then have 10 days (until May 30) to either return to school or remain in the draft pool.
Best of luck to Battle as his potential journey to the NBA continues. News is likely to be quiet leading up to the combine, unless he elects to sign with an agent beforehand.
