The Tyus Battle all- inclusive thread...

[Jake]

I didn't watch the game but I watch the Oakland highlight video 3 times. Battle takes the ball, spin move, pull back between the legs, moves forward, spin move, dribbles towards the key, stops and hold, the defender jumps up to block, he then pivots on his right foot bring his left foot through past the defender to the right, rising up for an uncontested snapping the net jumper! INSANE!

1:0 (one minute mark) in the video:

Yeah. Also the teardrop floater, step back j, power dribble pull up. Catch and shoot three.

Also noticed that he dialed it way back in the second half and made sure others got involved. That's pretty good self awareness that's hard to find when you're feeling it.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

What I hope is when he becomes the focus of opponent’s D , that others recognize and execute their own opportunities to score , thus helping him out and keeping defenses more honest.

Moyer drove to the hoop twice, which was new. Brisset is all around the hoop. Just needs more to go in. Dolezaj did a couple new things tonight. Chukwu showed some athleticism. Frank Howard did some real nice things. Of course, this wasn't a top 20 team we played, but it was enough to give the fans something to hang on to.

 

[CaptainJ]

I’ve seen some good footwork out of Sidibe, I’ve seen a running hook that he made a couple games ago...I think he’s got some offensive prowess.

lol that hook was so good that I was literally laughing! Partly because it was just too good to believe it was real and partly for reasons I probably cant say without (censored too), lol. Im glad you reminded me of it, it got another grin out of me!

 

[CaptainJ]

Moyer drove to the hoop twice, which was new. Brisset is all around the hoop. Just needs more to go in. Dolezaj did a couple new things tonight. Chukwu showed some athleticism. Frank Howard did some real nice things. Of course, this wasn't a top 20 team we played, but it was enough to give the fans something to hang on to.

I agree, it was like a moral victory...that actually counted as a victory! Gotta love those, and take them whenever you can.

 

[Dave85]

Yeah. Also the teardrop floater, step back j, power dribble pull up. Catch and shoot three.

Also noticed that he dialed it way back in the second half and made sure others got involved. That's pretty good self awareness that's hard to find when you're feeling it.

I like how the team is coming together. But it's hard not to focus on Battle. So far it looks like Battle has made a Waiter's like Sophomore leap in his game. His confidence seems much higher. His ball handling seems much better. He's hitting lots of shots in lots of ways. Battle is an absolute joy to watch. Just terrific.

 

[Briancuse]

Kid is a beast, just wish he has some more talent around him.

 

[bballbeadle]

Anyone else concerned about the nights he has an off game, as much as he tries to do on his own while leaving out teammates who occasionally are open and/or in good position?

Yes.

 

[bevosu]

He'll figure it out. Trust me, when we get into ACC play, we will want him to take 18-20 shots a game. I really like this team but outside of Frank and the occasional Thorpe, we don't have many guys who can create their own shots. I do think Brissett will improve in this area though.

At this point in his career Dolezaj shows signs that he can create his own shot...he just can't make them.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[SUFan44]

Playing himself into lotto territory. Kid might be best NBA prospect since Melo. And I don’t say that lightly.

I think everyone knew by the third or fourth game of the year that Melo was special and wouldn’t be around too long. I get the same feeling with Tyus this year. Just hope we can provide enough support to get him into the tourney.

 

[bballbeadle]

Playing himself into lotto territory. Kid might be best NBA prospect since Melo. And I don’t say that lightly.

I think everyone knew by the third or fourth game of the year that Melo was special and wouldn’t be around too long. I get the same feeling with Tyus this year. Just hope we can provide enough support to get him into the tourney.

What?? You invoke the sacred name of Melo? Bold move, my friend!

 

[HakAttack]

Playing himself into lotto territory. Kid might be best NBA prospect since Melo. And I don’t say that lightly.

I think everyone knew by the third or fourth game of the year that Melo was special and wouldn’t be around too long. I get the same feeling with Tyus this year. Just hope we can provide enough support to get him into the tourney.

What?? You invoke the sacred name of Melo? Bold move, my friend!

I completely agree with what SUFan44 is trying to say. bballbeadle, you're missing the point, IMO. The point is that Battle might be the best NBA prospect we've had since Melo, which isn't too far of a stretch. Not best player. Best NBA prospect.

Let's run down some notable NBA prospects since Melo and examine some of their red flags.

Warrick - Was held back by some real concerns about his "tweener" size/status.
Flynn - Concerns about his height, shooting.
Waiters - Kid was running the second unit, but hadn't shown he could carry a team.
Wes - Classic 3 & D guy. Not a ton of NBA potential, but has carved out a solid career so far.
MCW - Handle was there, but shooting was extremely suspect.
McCullough - Raw potential, not established talent.
Donte - Come on. Way overvalued NBA prospect.
Lydon - Speed regressed once he put on weight. Strength to bang with "4s" in the league?

Tyus seems to have most, if not all of those guys beaten if he lives up to his current projections. So yeah, I'd say that Tyus has the chance to be our best NBA prospect since Melo.

 

[JrodCuse]

I look at the way Tyus plays and I see a bonafide NBA star. Kid checks off what the NBA looks for in a 2g. If he does average close to an efficient 20 ppg he could easily be a top 5 pick.

 

[cuseattle]

I didn't watch the game but I watch the Oakland highlight video 3 times. Battle takes the ball, spin move, pull back between the legs, moves forward, spin move, dribbles towards the key, stops and hold, the defender jumps up to block, he then pivots on his right foot bringing his left foot through past the defender to the right, rising up off his left foot sinking a 12 foot jumper! INSANE!

1:0 (one minute mark) in the video:

That looked like a kid's high school highlight video. Dang!

 

[HoustonCuse]

He has not shown that he can distribute or facilitate for his team mates. Defenses will swarm him when he gets the ball in ACC play. I hope he's able to elevate that part of his game. In pure scoring capacity he seems close to Melo level, but in making his team mates better he is 100 miles away. He also has no where close to the rebounding chops.

I don't say that to pick on him. Melo is an unattainable bar for anybody to reach and he had essentially a complete game as a freshman. There was nothing the kid couldn't do. Tyus isn't in the same stratosphere as that yet because he is one dimensional (scorer only). I look forward to seeing the rest of his game develop during the remainder of his college career.

 

[HakAttack]

I look at the way Tyus plays and I see a bonafide NBA star. Kid checks off what the NBA looks for in a 2g. If he does average close to an efficient 20 ppg he could easily be a top 5 pick.

Ok let's not get carried away here. Lottery pick, perhaps. Top five pick? Not likely.

 

[Orangtiz]

Top 5 is crazy talk! But he is a tremendous prospect. And while I am 90% sure he's gone. The wild card could be Khalif. If he decides on Cuse, he and Tyus seem close. I could see Tyus coming back. Throw in both Battle's (unlikely I know) and Bazely, Carey, Brissett, Dolezaj (perhaps), Chukwu, and Buddy Buckets. WOW could be our best team in quite some time.

 

[721Comstock]

Top 5 is crazy talk! But he is a tremendous prospect. And while I am 90% sure he's gone. The wild card could be Khalif. If he decides on Cuse, he and Tyus seem close. I could see Tyus coming back. Throw in both Battle's (unlikely I know) and Bazely, Carey, Brissett, Dolezaj (perhaps), Chukwu, and Buddy Buckets. WOW could be our best team in quite some time.

Did anybody think Dion was a Top 5 draft pick?
Or Jonny nearly so?
It only takes one team to think that.

So far, Tyus looks better as a Soph than Dion did. And with much less talent & experience around him.

Tyus isn’t 90% gone.
He’s 99.999999999999% gone.
You’d be wise to accept this fact now, so you won’t be disappointed later.