As the Wolves prepare for 2019 Summer League, let’s get to know the players who will be on the roster in Vegas.
What’s His Name?
Tyus Akili Battle
Where Is He From?
Battle, 21, was born in Edison, New Jersey, and played high school basketball in Gladstone, New Jersey.
Here are three things you might not know about Edison:
- In 2009 Edison was named one of the top-10 best places to grow up by U.S. News & World Report. Very good news for Battle considering he grew up there.
- It is (shockingly) named after Thomas Edison, who set up his home and laboratory in what would become the site of the town.
- Wolves star Karl-Anthony Towns was also born in Edison!
Where Have You Heard Of Him Before?
Battle had a great college career at Syracuse, averaging 19.2 points as a sophomore and 17.2 as a freshman. Those are pretty darn good numbers. Battle’s three-year college career at Syracuse is the main thing people know him for. He has a good number of fans.
Describe Him To Us
Battle is a big scoring guard whose game, while a little one-dimensional, is undeniably impressive. He certainly can score, but the questions that prevented him from being drafted are about how his game will translate to the next level against better defense and with fewer opportunities.
The 6’6 guard was not a particularly efficient player in college and only shot 32.1 percent from three his last season. His overall efficiency was negatively correlated with his scoring—when he scored more, he was less efficient. That won’t quite cut it in the NBA. However, if he can develop that deep shot, he certainly could have a future in the league.
Battle is a good on-ball defender who averaged over a steal per game in college, but he didn’t do much rebounding or playmaking. The issue with being one-dimensional in college is if there is a perception that your one skill won’t translate it’s hard to make a team. Battle certainly has work to do, but there is some promise there and Summer League is the perfect place to work on that.