Knicks411
Living Legend
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2011
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To me, the question is "can I improve my draft position?" That's the only reason to come back.
Battle isn't even listed in some second round mock drafts I've seen, and I think the kid is better than that. Put him on a loaded team next year, and he can't help but have more assists, shoot a better percentage because he won't have to force so many shots and he would be able to trust he teammates more, that he wasn't the only guy who could win a game.
Seldom happens, but this kid should be picked in the first round, and if he isn't showing up, in part, it's because our team is not good this year, by our usual standards, and the other part, of course, are the flaws in his game (form on jump shot, few assists, should rebound better, work on his left hand dribble).
I will keep saying it; kids on winning teams are rated higher because their teams win more. That's how players are evaluated in AAU, that's how they're evaluated in college - do they make plays that win games?
Battle does that, to an extent, but his game could be so much better. If he's not going to get drafted, why not come back? What would he be leaving for, a free agent contract in the G League or to go play in Greece?
Could be any number of reasons. Maybe he's tired of going to class. Maybe he just wants to get paid anything to play basketball. Maybe he got bad intel and he thinks he's a first rounder. Or maybe he was told he's not going to be a first rounder next year either, so why not go now? Maybe he hates playing for Boeheim. Etc