Report: Tyus Battle Will Return to Syracuse After Declaring for 2018 NBA Draft

Tyus Battle has reportedly withdrawn from the 2018 NBA draft and will return to Syracuse for his junior season, according to ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman. 

Battle declared for the draft in April, but he opted not to hire an agent. As a result, he was able to keep his options open and get a feel for his draft stock before making a final call in advance of Wednesday's early-entry withdrawal deadline. 

Battle averaged 19.2 points on 39.9 percent shooting from the field as a sophomore, and he helped the Orange make a run to the Midwest Regional semifinal behind three double-digit outings in the NCAA tournament, including a 15-point effort in the First Four against Arizona State and 17-point performance in the second round versus Michigan State. 

Battle also came up big with 19 points in a Sweet 16 loss to Duke. 

Tyus Battle finishes through contact

The 6'6'' swingman proceeded to make the trip to Chicago earlier this month for the NBA draft combine, and he tested well athletically with the second-fastest shuttle run (2.87 seconds) and fourth-fastest three-quarter-court sprint (3.07 seconds) among all participants. 

But as ESPN.com's Mike Schmitz noted, Battle "struggled to find his way in five-on-five play" and "was unable to add value when playing off the ball, which he'll likely be asked to do in the NBA."

Back at Syracuse, Battle should look to improve his efficiency as a mid-range marksman—he made 38.9 percent of his two-point jumpers last season, per Hoop-Math.com—and three-point shooter (32.2 percent) in hopes of cementing himself as a reliable, NBA-caliber volume scorer.