Oshae Brissett, Syracuse: Unlike Roby, Brissett’s final call has been made. On Tuesday, he announced that he’s going to stay in the NBA Draft. Brissett had a strong week after playing in the G League Elite Camp. He was one of the unmitigated standouts there, earning his way into the NBA Draft Combine after getting to show off more things offensively than he gets to at Syracuse. Instead of being forced to create everything for himself, he was able to get opportunities direct off the catch, or get back cuts going toward the basket. The increased space also helped him, and he looked every bit of the intriguing prospect scouts thought he was as a freshman.
At the NBA Draft Combine, his play was a bit more mixed. He obviously measured well at 6-8 in shoes with a 7-foot wingspan, and then additionally showcased a bit more explosiveness and bounce than he’s gotten a chance to show at Syracuse by pulling off a 37.5-inch vertical leap. But his performance in the five-on-five against ostensibly better competition was much more average.
That’s totally fine, though. Basically, Brissett moved himself from being something of a borderline top-100 prospect for teams into putting himself well into the mix for the second round. Maybe he gets drafted, maybe not. For some players, that might not be enough to stick in the draft. Here’s why though, in Brissett’s case, I think it’s a reasonable call. At Syracuse, he’s just not going to get the chance to showcase the things executives are looking for. The floor is always condensed at Syracuse offensively because few teams respect their shooters from deep. On defense, he’s going to be stuck playing in a zone and not getting a chance to prove himself in man-to-man defense.
This isn’t to say Jim Boeheim is a bad coach or anything; he’s not. Rather, their goals are misaligned here. Brissett needs to show that he can hit catch-and-shoot 3s, defend in man-to-man, and attack closeouts. But that’s not what he’ll be asked to do at Syracuse, who will likely ask him to create off the bounce, and try to make plays on his own — something that he’s just not quite good enough at because his handle isn’t great and his first step isn’t all that strong. Those aren’t necessarily skills Brissett will need at the next level. Even Brissett ends up going undrafted, it’s probably better for Brissett to develop in the G League for his pro career.
