Ole Miss Basketball: 3 key storylines for Rebels in 2019 offseason
1. Key players entering the NBA Draft
The month of May has to be one of the most stressful times for NCAA Basketball fans. Besides graduating seniors, one-and-dones and surefire lottery picks, there are around 150 underclassmen testing the waters. Many will at some point announce that they’re coming back to school but there are a good amount who’ll decide to stay pro.
For Ole Miss Basketball, there are two players who have submitted their name to the NBA Draft – Devontae Shuler and Breein Tyree. Besides Davis, these were the other two double-digit scorers for the Rebels and played a pivotal role in their success this season.
Tyree led the team with 17.8 ppg and was an All-SEC performer. He had a pair of career-high 31 point games and was an efficient shooter from the field. His name isn’t anywhere among the top 100 NBA Draft Big Boards and is undersized as a two-guard at the next level. Tyree could come back for his senior season, improve his ball handling and passing abilities to become a better pro prospect. At the same time, his measurables will never be favorable and after a great individual campaign, could go pro overseas.
Shuler is a better NBA prospect than Tyree is, although his name also isn’t mentioned on draft boards. The 6’2 sophomore was very efficient and productive all-around, scoring in double figures, grabbing over four rebounds a game and become the starting point guard this year. Shuler also was a good defender, averaging 1.7 steals a game. His overall athleticism makes him an intriguing prospect down the road and if he can provide more scoring, could become a real candidate to leave after his junior year.
If either should leave unexpectedly, it would be a real blow to the Rebels’ hopes of dancing next March. But this could become of the best backcourts in the SEC if both Shuler and Tyree come back for 2019-20. And a great year from them could bring Ole Miss Basketball closer to sending a player to the NBA along with Tyree.