Syracuse Orange News

The last chip to fall for ACC players contemplating the NBA Draft has dropped. According to multiple reports, Syracuse star Tyus Battle will withdraw from the draft, and return for his junior season.

Tyus Battle is returning to Syracuse, per a source. Entered 2018 NBA Draft without an agent.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 30, 2018

Battle was seen as a late first round pick in the eyes of some evaluators; however, he likely didn’t help his case by posting a so-so performance at the combine, a few weeks back.

Of course, this severally changes the outlook for Syracuse basketball in 2018-19. Battle is, um…battle tested. There are few players, in the last decade of college basketball, that have played his level of minutes and usage.

Battle, the workhorse

In 2017-18, Tyus Battle — 19.2 points per game — played 1,443 minutes, which tabulates to 39 per game — both of those were tops in Division I. According to Sports Reference Battle is one of just five players since the 2009-10 season to play over 1,400 minutes in under 40 games.

Also dating back to the 2009-10 season, Battle is one of only three players to average over 40 minutes per game in conference games. Battle played in 99 percent of Syracuse’s available minutes in ACC games, too, per KenPom — No. 1 in the nation.

According to Synergy Sports, Battle accounted for 27 percent of Syracuse’s total possessions — which translates to 758. This season: only 23 Division I players this season accounted for 700 or more used possessions. Of those 23, only three hail from Power 5 programs.

Dating back to the 2005-06 season, according to Synergy, only eight ACC players, including Battle, have recorded over 700 possessions in a single season.

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