Tyrese Maxey is a 6’3 198 pound guard from Kentucky University. Tyrese was a highly rated High School prospect for the class of 2019 coming out of Garland, Texas. Now he’s listed as a PG but can also play the SG very well as well if not better. This kid has the potential to be a very solid NBA guard but needs to solidify his role because he’s kinda stuck between PG or SG. Right now I see him as a small shooting guard because of his skill set I’ll bring up but could definitely thrive at either position. As of July 1st, Maxey is projected anywhere in the lottery and has a chance to drop slightly out of it as well. Averages in his Freshman campaign were 14.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, shooting 43% from the field and 29% from 3.
Strengths: Maxey is a defensive minded player with offensive abilities that can be improved on. Maxey has a very smooth jump shot and has the confidence to shoot from 30+ feet out, and has the mechanics to become a lethal shooter in the league. Now his shooting percentages are very deceiving because Maxey is a very good shooter and has the skill set to become one of the league’s best but he needs to have more consistency. The reason I call him more of a SG than a PG is because one of his most lethal parts of his game is his ability to spot up and be very good at it. Where his PG instinct comes in is Maxey is very comfortable dribbling in either direction, he’s the most efficient scoring off the dribble and relies on his elusiveness and his quick footwork to score. I know shooting up the dribble is his most efficient way of scoring is very weird but it works for him. Maxey is excellent at finishing at the rim and loves to embrace contact and has a great touch with either hand. That’s another great strength he has is the ability to use both hands and show weakness in being one hand dominant. Maxey is very creative with the ball at the rim to protect the ball from the defender and Maxey loves his English Muffins. Now one of his staples of his game is his floater which is his most efficient aspect of his offensive game. Now let’s get on the other side of the ball, Maxey is a very tenacious defender and uses all his energy to force turnovers and wreak havoc. Maxey has good balance and isn’t easily faked out by a guard and usually contests all shots. Maxey is a pest off ball and makes his opponent very frustrated. The energy he creates on defense really does rub off on his teammates which creates a great culture and gives other players a high motor.
Weaknesses: In most cases with my other draft profiles, these weaknesses are easily fixable with NBA coaches. Maxey needs to improve on his shot selection, this could be a confidence thing because he does settle for a lot of unnecessary floaters and a lot of tough shots. Maxey handles are above average because they’re quick but he really doesn’t use them to get space and that could be easily be fixed with a permanent move to SG. As I stated before he’s a good shooter but did shoot 29% from 3 which is very poor for a guy who’s considered a shooter. Maxey can turn very crazy and start being too predictable with his moves if the defense starts getting to him. Now if he’s gonna be a NBA PG he needs to improve on his passing vision and be more aware of who’s open in certain situations. For the height that he is at 6’3 he needs to learn quickly what his role is gonna be in the NBA, and if he’s gonna be a PG he needs to learn how to take over an offense but once he becomes a consistent shooter he can move to SG for good. His point totals can be very inconsistent because Maxey is capable of putting up 30+ against any team in the country but then the very next game could have 4 points, he just needs to find the middle ground because NBA teams can’t afford that in late stretches of the season. If he’s gonna be a SG he needs to add more weight and gain strength to be able to go up against taller SG like Klay and others.
Verdict: Tyrese Maxey has the skill set of Denver JR Smith both young guys that are capable of doing anything with an unlimited amount of potential and I could 100% see Maxey becoming a very good 6 man and even multiple time 6 MOTY. Coach Cal is known for making kids NBA ready like John Wall, Anthony Davis, KAT, DeMarcus Cousins, Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo, and De’Aaron Fox. So Maxey had a good system around him to be NBA ready and could make a run at ROTY this upcoming season. (P.S. Maxey has been working out with LeBron and Ben Simmons during quarantine!!)
TheDyspatch 