All-time All-ACC NBA Mock Draft
By Ynal Al-Ouri
Shane Battier is certainly the type of player that you’re glad is on your team. He was one of the best defenders in college basketball history, and surely gave many opponents nightmares knowing that he was going to guard them. He was one of the more accomplished players in college, earning numerous awards including the Wooden Award, the Defensive Player of the Year Award twice, and of course helping Duke win a National Championship. Battier prided himself on being an enforcer on the defensive end, but he also made major strides with his offense over the years. He steadily improved his scoring averages each season, ultimately leading to him averaging 19.9 points and 3.2 3-pointers per game during his incredible senior season. Battier was also a solid rebounder averaging over 6 rebounds per game over the course of his four years with the Blue Devils.
He was very intelligent about the game, and always seemed to know where he needed to be to help his team win games. Battier would certainly fit in today’s NBA, as an elite 3-and-D specialist, and teams would crave his high basketball IQ. He is the type of player that affects games beyond the box score, and often does things to help his team win that may not resonate to a casual fan. His defense alone could make him a high draft pick, but his shooting and leadership ability just contribute to his already great game.