It’s been a trying week or two for Syracuse Orange fans. So perhaps this nugget around forward Oshae Brissett can be considered some good news:
"I definitely want to go back to school," Oshae Brissett said on TSN Radio Vancouver. He's opting to come back to Syracuse over the NBA because he wants to develop and boost his draft stock.
— Matthew Gutierrez (@MatthewGut21) April 5, 2018
During his freshman season at Syracuse, Brissett paired 14.9 points per game with 8.8 rebounds, while shooting over 35 percent and showing himself to be an incredibly athletic playmaker for the Orange. While he’s not currently on draft boards, that could potentially change were he to declare. But based on this quote -- which echoes his opinion shared right after the loss to Duke in the Sweet 16 — it appears he’ll be staying in school another year.
Still, that’s just part of the statement Brissett made during an interview with TSN Radio (KCU) in Vancouver. The full text reads:
“I haven’t fully made the decision. But right now I’m leaning more toward coming back to school. I feel like another year of development will really help me out. There’s no rush to get into the league. There’s nothing that I have to do right now. I feel like with another year to find myself and develop the skills I showed last year will really help my stock increase. That’s where I’m sitting right now. Nothing for sure yet though. But I definitely want to come back to school.”
Ultimately, Brissett can elect to simply be evaluated by NBA scouts if he submits his name for the draft without hiring an agent. He’s well within his rights to do that, though obviously it puts the Orange roster in even more potential flux than it already was. Tyus Battle is already likely to weigh his options with the NBA, while Matthew Moyer has elected to transfer and Darius Bazley will head to the G League instead of joining the Orange.
So like I said: Some good news, but we’re far from out of the woods. Hoping the hesitance to commit to a jump at this point is a good sign for Brissett staying, however. He’d likely be a lottery pick in 2019 if he improves the way we think/assume.