Scouting Report: Tyus Battle
Tyus Battle is a young and interesting player that has the potential to make a great career in Europe. He is not having a dominant season and his stats can paint a wrong picture but he has great potential and will definitely climb the ladder in Europe and sooner or later get a chance at the highest level.
BACKGROUND INFO
Position: SG/SF
Height: 198 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Date of Birth: 23/9/1997
Nationality: American
Previous clubs:
2019–20 Iowa Wolves
Battle was regarded as a five star prospect in high school and recieved more than 20 scholarship offers. First he commited to Michigan but after one month he decommited and joined Syracuse. He was amongst the best players in Syracuse in his freshman, sophmore and junior years and averaged more than 10 points per game in all seasons. After his sophmore season he declared for the draft without signing with an agent and later withdrew his name. from the draft. Returned to his junior season and averaged 17.2 points per game, declared for the NBA Draft again but went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft. Played for the Iowa Wolves in the G league last season and this season is his first in Europe. He was also a member of the USA U17 team that won the gold medal in Dubai at the FIBA U17 World Championship in 2014.
VIDEO REPORT:
OFFENSE
Shooting: His shooting percentages are pretty good. Takes a lot mid range shots and hits them with pretty good percentages. His release is high and with his handles he can also create some separation from the defender. Even though he is shooting more than 50 % for three this season — on a smaller sample size - I would say he is a decent shooter from distance and has room to improve in this area. From the tape that I’ve seen, he is also much better in spot up situations than in off the dribble shots behind the three point line. I think he has some reserves in shooting and that he can get more consistent and become a good and reliable shooting threat from distance too.
Slashing: He is really good at getting to the rim. Has a strong and athletic body, explosive first step and with his handles he can break the defense and get to the rim. Can attack in both directions but the majority of his drives are to his left. His driving angles are good and with his length, he can go even for some advanced finishes at the rim. His touch at the rim and on floaters could be better and sometimes can miss some contested layups. Has room for improvements as a finisher around the rim and I’m sure he will get better at it over the years but his ability to get to the rim is on a really high level.
Transition: Another area where he is very good in is his game in transition. When he pushes forward it is almost impossible to stop him. So fluid with the ball in his hands and usually way faster than most defenders. Likes to push after a rebound or still but also runs in transition without the ball. Fills the lane correctly and looks for easy points in transition most of the time. From time to time he is not patient enough and makes a bad read which results in an offensive foul or a turnover
Playmaking: A big advantage from Battle is his versatility. He can fill so many roles in offense and play on different positions on both sides of the floor. In offense for example he can play anything from 1 to 3, playing as a point forward, secondary ball handler or as a get & go player from the wing. His playmaking abilities are solid and can dish some assists but not really a player that could organize the offense all game long.
DEFENSE
Perimeter defense: Battle has the tools for a good defensive player. He is athletic enough to guard anyone on perimeter but showing that too rarely. Enisey is one of the worst defensive teams in the VTB league so it is not just his fault but I believe he can do better in defense. His reactions and lateral movement are solid, sometimes makes some bad reads on closeouts and the offensive player can get too much advantage. Also too passive in defense and should be more aggressive and look for more contact.
Rotations: An area where he is good at in defense are his rotations from the weak side. Usually rotating on point as the third man in pick & roll defense and not letting easy points from the roller. His court awareness is really good and can cover a good amount of ground in a short time.
Rebounding: With his athleticism Battle can do a lot of work in rebounding too. Has good anticipation and is a pretty active rebounder from the wing. As mentioned before, he likes to push in transition after grabbing a rebound and most teams have a hard time stopping him in transition.
SUMMARY
Of course, not a done player yet and has a lot of space for improvements and I expect from him that he will make improvements every year and only get better and better.
His shot for three can get better and more consistent, also can improve as a finisher around the rim and defender on perimeter. His slashing, athleticism, rebounding and his transition game are on a really high level already and I think most teams on the highest level should write his name on their short list and follow his development in next years.
