According to new reports, Elijah Hughes will be remaining in the 2020 NBA Draft and won’t be returning to Syracuse Basketball.
Any hope for a reunion between Syracuse Basketball and star forward Elijah Hughes has been dashed. New reports state the Beacon, New York native will be keeping his name in the 2020 NBA Draft and foregoing his final year of eligibility with the ACC program.
Jeff Goodman was the first to report the news. Hughes himself quickly took to social media to confirm his decision.
thank you orange nation from the bottom of my heart https://t.co/t9TpCVuBPp
— Eli (@elijahhughes4_) April 21, 2020
Hughes was Jim Boeheim’s best player during the 2019-20 season. He averaged 19.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, shooting 34.1 percent from three. Hughes averaged at least 13 points per game during each of his two seasons with the Orange.
The forward’s career didn’t actually start with Syracuse. He played his first season with the East Carolina Pirates, averaging 7.8 points before deciding to transfer out of the program. Because he sat out the 2017-18 season, Hughes is already 22 years old, meaning he would be 23 by the time the next NBA Draft rolled around, a risky proposition.
Still, it seemed like there was at least a possibility Hughes would return for his senior season. After declaring for the draft about a month ago, Hughes was oft-projected to be a second-round pick in the draft. Over the past month, however, there have been more and more mock drafts suggest he could be a first-rounder, solidifying his decision.
Syracuse arguably could’ve entered the 2020-21 season as one of the three best teams in the ACC. If Hughes came back, the Orange would be returning their entire starting five from a season ago. Rising junior
averaged 15.3 points per game and rising sophomore
averaged 12.4 points per game. Those two alone should still give Syracuse a potent 1-2 punch, even without Hughes.
Nevertheless, Hughes’ departure leaves a hole in the lineup. Quincy Guerrier would probably be the first choice to fill that hole. As a freshman, he averaged 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds off the bench. But he struggles from beyond the arc, shooting just 12.5 percent from three. In fact, he attempted just 24 three-pointers all season, making just three of them.
Another potential option is Illinois transfer Alan Griffin. As a sophomore, the Ossining native averaged 8.9 points and 4.5 rebounds, impressive numbers considering he played in less than 20 minutes per game. He also drained 41.6 percent of his threes. Of course, it’s an open question whether or not Griffin will be eligible to play next season – it depends on whether or not the NCAA chooses to waive the one-year transfer ban for a year.
Syracuse missed out on local 2020 center Quincy Ballard, who committed to Florida State last week. They do have a four-star guard coming in Kadary Richmond, but their overall class rank is just 53rd in the country and 11th in the ACC. A lackluster recruiting class will be covered up by the amount of returning veterans for the Orange.
Having Elijah Hughes back would’ve sealed the potential for Syracuse. Instead, Jim Boeheim’s team will have to go on without him in 2020-21.