Pick #16 - Who you got?

Who do you have?

With Harden and Westbrook heading out, I'd be looking to get a scorer with high upside. These four have tremendous upside (along with bust potential). Also, shooting guards out of Kentucky have generally been money.


Patrick Williams | F | Florida State | Birthdate: Aug. 26, 2001 (Age: 19) | 6-8 | 225 LBS | Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.


BACKGROUND: Parents are Janie and Eddie, both of whom played low-level college basketball. Has slowly but surely been percolating as a prospect for a long-time. Started for four years at West Charlotte High. Early in high school, he was a 6-foot guard. But continued to grow throughout his time. Emerged as an elite prospect as a junior, when he averaged 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals per game. Was even better as a senior, leading West Charlotte to a state championship game. Played with Team United on the AAU circuit. Was a consensus five-star recruit ranked No. 26 in the class. Chose Florida State over a bevy of high-major offers. Freshman year at Florida State was good, not elite. Played a role. Came off the bench for most of his games, playing just 22.5 minutes per night in the Seminoles’ deep squad. Slid into his role on both ends though and played well. Ultimately was named the ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year, as well as getting named to the All-Freshman team in the league. Was also on the ACC’s Academic Honor Roll. Declared for the draft early because he has been considered a one and done since the start of the season, and teams think of him as a first round pick.


STRENGTHS: The big key here is Williams’ size. At 6-foot-8 with a near 7-foot wingspan, he has the potential to be the kind of versatile forward that teams covet. He plays really hard, too. More than that though, even, his frame is absolutely elite. Williams looks like he’s been chiseled out of granite, with enormous shoulders. As he gets into his mid-20s – remember, he already looks like this at 19 years old -- Williams looks like he’s going to be able to gain another 15 pounds of muscle with ease. He already uses that strength across the court really well, as it’s tough to go through him. Some teams even think that he’ll be able to push down and play the small ball 5 at some point in switchable, end-of-game lineups.

A big part of the reason teams think he has a shot to do that is because his defensive feel, reactivity and IQ is off the charts good for a teenage wing. He’s a monster in help defense both on the perimeter and as an interior rotator. As a rim protector, he’s an absolute force rotating over from the weak side for blocks and contests. His timing when going up to swat shots is strong, and he has a quick second jump for a secondary contest after the initial attempt. His form when just contesting with verticality is also very strong. He gets very high, goes straight up and down with his arms, and his core strength allows him to absorb contact while downhill drivers just bounce off of him as he holds his ground. Averaged nearly two blocks per 40 minutes, and he’ll be a real threat as a weak-side rim protector at the 4 in the NBA.

Also really good at rotating in help defense when not involved in the primary action. Seems to operate purely off of instinct while keeping his arms raised high in his stance with good fundamentals. Gets a ton of deflections because he seems to have strong hand-eye coordination and reactivity. Good in ball screen coverages at playing in the perfect gap on the weak side, and a good at closing out and using his length to contest shots.

Offensively, he’s raw but shows a lot of tools based off of his feel. Williams is a smart, instinctive cutter who times his moves toward the basket well. Knows how to relocate into dangerous spots. Seems to understand where to move in order to be a more dangerous offensive player off the ball both when spacing and when cutting. Also a terrific offensive rebounder for his size. Just finds little areas and uses his quick first and second jump to corral shots. He also shows some very real passing upside. Grew up playing as something of a point-forward on the AAU scene, and has maintained some of that dexterity with the ball. Can knock down the occasional pull-up jumper from the midrange when attacking a closeout. Comfortable handling with either hand in the open court and in advantage situations where he has a mismatch or where a closeout has come far too heavy. Not a creator necessarily, but can create looks for his teammates off the secondary action when defense is scrambling.

Also occasionally makes some real high-level passing reads. Can hit a cross-court, one-handed off-hand kickout off of a live dribble drive. Will hit cutters going toward the rim. The numbers don’t show it because his role was fairly limited at Florida State, but Williams does have some real upside as a passer and playmaker, especially within a team construct where he is just a cog, not the main piece.


WEAKNESSES: Williams is kind of a blank canvas in some regard at this point because he’s still very raw skill-wise. There are a lot of tools in his game, but not many of them are polished enough to be placed into an NBA setting right now. For instance, his jumper is inconsistent. Williams made just 32 percent from 3 this season. While he displays some touch, he doesn’t really have consistent enough mechanics. Sometimes, the shots are moon balls with an extremely high trajectory. Other times, they’re more natural coming out of his hand. In general, the shot is not very fluid and it takes him some real time to get it off. Has a bit of an inconsistent release point and seems much more comfortable taking pull-ups from the midrange than he does 3s off the catch. Definitely can’t take a relocation dribble into a step-back 3 right now off of a heavy closeout. Given that 3s off the catch will be much more important than pull-ups for him, he has to get more comfortable shooting. I think he has enough touch to where he probably gets there in time off the catch and hits at a reasonable 35 percent or so, but it’s not there yet. Also has a tendency to turn it over a bit more than you’d like to see.

Not a monster explosiveness athlete. The one real concern teams have on Williams’ defense is that he occasionally got driven this year. His feet are a bit heavy. His lateral quickness isn’t quite as strong as other defense-first wings like OG Anunoby. He sometimes can struggle to cut off driving lanes with his defensive slides. Gets driven on closeouts more often than you’d like to see, partially because of the slow quickness and partially because of a tendency to go for deflections pushing him out of position. Much better as an off-ball havoc-wreaker than he is on the ball.

On offense, he doesn’t quite finish as well at the rim as you’d expect because he doesn’t have great vertical pop when contacted. Good in transition, but not quite as strong in the halfcourt. Only made 55.6 percent of his shots at the basket in the halfcourt, and doesn’t throw down dunks as often as you’d think for this kind of skill package. He’s a two-foot load leaper where it takes him an extra split second for him to get momentum to go upward, allowing defenders that extra time to recover and contest. Very rarely goes up off of one, and doesn’t seem to have much craft as a finisher beyond going through or over the top of guys at the rim. Again, just very raw in terms of his bag of skills there.

SUMMARY: Williams has risen in the minds of teams throughout the draft process for a couple of reasons. First, they really went back through the tape after the stoppage and saw all of the defensive potential and offensive flashes. Even though he didn’t start and play a crazy amount of minutes, those are real tools that teams think they can continue to develop. Second, the NBA playoffs happened and teams continued to realize how important it is to have secondary players that can play high-level defense and play with great feel offensively. Williams ticks those boxes at a very high level. As long as Williams knocks down 3s at a 35 to 37 percent level off the catch, he’s going to be a really high-level player for a long time. There’s a somewhat low-likelihood outcome of star upside, given his feel as a passer, his pull-up shot, and his comfort as a ballhandler in advantage situations. But I think he probably settles in more as a starting caliber 4 who helps winning teams with defense and playmaking.

GRADE: Lottery pick

 

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Killian Hayes | G | Ratiopharm Ulm | Birthdate: July 27, 2001 (Age: 19) | 6-5 | 215 LBS | Hometown: Cholet, France

BACKGROUND: Was born in Lakeland, Fla. His father, DeRon, played basketball for Penn State, then turned pro and moved around a lot early in his career, playing in the ABA, Portugal, Russia, Ukraine and France among others. In 1998, he played in France and met Hayes’ mother and his wife Sandrine. Hayes was born while DeRon was playing in Lakeland in the ABA. After a year, Hayes got another contract playing in France and moved the family there. In that vein, Hayes straddled two worlds when he was younger. He spent his school year in France, then spent his summers in the USA. Has not taken a traditional route. Considered going the high school route in the USA but decided to stay in France developing with Cholet’s youth team.

Also was offered the opportunity to play with INSEP, the sports institute that develops elite basketball players at youth levels, but he turned that down as well. Instead, he started playing for Cholet’s Espoirs team at a very young age, which is the French developmental league. From there, quickly made a name for himself and has long been established as an elite-level prospect. In 2017, he was named to the roster for the Jordan Brand international game and won MVP at just 16 years old. That following summer, he led France to a gold medal in the U16 Euro Championships. He won MVP of that event and firmly established himself as a potential lottery pick. Similarly, in 2018, he was named to the All-Tournament team at the U17 World Cup, where he led France to a silver medal. However, he kind of stalled out in 2018-19 in his first professional year. Played a solid role as an 18-year-old for Cholet’s senior team but didn’t seem quite ready for the kind of stardom anticipated. There was some concern that his development had slowed down and that he was an early peak guy because he was so big and well-built from an early age. Instead of staying in France, he moved to Germany this past season to play for Ratiopharm Ulm. There, he morphed back into the guy that everyone thought he was. Playing on-ball, Hayes was excellent for a good, mid-tier German league team as the team’s starting point guard. Also succeeded in the team’s Eurocup games. That put him back on the map for teams in the lottery. He declared for the draft and following the pandemic shutting play down, decided not to return to Germany to finish out his team’s season there in the playoffs. Hayes is considered a mature kid who should have no issues adjusting to the NBA off the court.


STRENGTHS: All about Hayes’ ability to make plays with ball in hand. Plays with tremendous pace and poise. Creative ballhandler with the ability to freeze defenders with changes of pace, inside-out moves and little shoulder fakes. His best skill is his passing ability. He whips passes around the court with his left hand off of a live dribble or a stand-still with ease. Sees the entire court at a very high level. A monster out of ball-screens. Can hit his roller with pitch-perfectly weighted lobs or strong pocket passes. Can hit that cross-corner kickout. When he needs to, he can dial it up and really throw a hard one with his left hand. Doesn’t quite have as much style or flashy passes as LaMelo does, but it’s honestly not that far off. His basketball IQ as a distributor is very high.

Flashes the ability to be a three-level scorer. Good footwork and balance around the rim. Absorbs contact well because of his solid frame and has tremendous touch playing through it. Keeps rim protectors off balance because he can hit them with a weird mix of wrong-footed finishes and angle-changes from finger rolls to floaters. Made 58.6 percent at the basket this season in the half court according to Synergy. That floater comes up in the midrange as well as an interesting tool. Really great touch on it and it should be a weapon for him from 7 to 14 feet. Also comfortable pulling up from that range. You see some of his impressive step-back skill here, but more of it from behind the 3-point line.

Indeed, while I generally have questions about Hayes as a shooter long-term, he does have some real upside as a pull-up shooter. His footwork is so clean and allows him to maintain balance moving backward without fading away. His release is also extremely clean in these settings despite what the 29.4 percent number from 3 says. Overall, Hayes hit his pull-up jumper at a 48.8 effective field goal percentage, which is a strong number (although not quite one that you can live off of).

Defensively, I quite like Hayes’ upside. Has the frame to be a good defender at 6-foot-5 with strength. Solid length with a 6-foot-8 wingspan. Also has the basketball IQ necessary to be solid on that end. Great with his hands on the ball as a disruptive force. Handles lead guards well because he uses his size and good lateral quickness to frustrate their driving lanes. Does a solid job of getting through screens, but could stand to improve with age. Generally, a positive force off the ball because he can shoot passing lanes and is a smart rotator within scheme but can lose engagement from time to time and get lost. Not an All-Defensive team guy but should be part of good defensive teams.


WEAKNESSES: Two big ones as it refers to his playmaking. First and foremost, there are few guards in the NBA who are as single-hand-dominant as Hayes is. Just about everything is with his left hand. NBA teams from Day One will force Hayes to go away from that left hand and prove that he can make plays when they sit on it. I’ve watched all of his assists this season and I’m not sure I can remember an instance of him making a high-level live-dribble pass with only his right hand. Does make two-handed passes at times, but just generally wants to get back to his left every single time.

In general, Hayes doesn’t quite break down defenders and get as much separation as you’d like to see consistently. He’s an average athlete for the lead guard spot. The flashes are real, and the highlights show some upside that says he can be the type of three-level attacker that NBA teams covet at the lead guard spot. But over full games, he just doesn’t get that level of penetration into the teeth of the defense consistently. Struggles to deal with high-pressure guards. Needs a ball-screen to get free. Took under two shots at the rim per game in the half court according to Synergy, plus one floater from the midrange per game. Sometimes gets stuck in the midrange area without options after picking up his dribble, leading to turnovers. Can get a bit wild with his passes in terms of accuracy, but for the most part okay there.

Additionally, It’s hard not to look at a guy who only hit 29.4 percent from 3 this year and question the jumper. Hayes has consistently made free throws throughout his career but has failed to make the 3-point shot at a level commensurate with those percentages. In fact, over the last three years from 2017 onward, we have a sample of about 400 3-point shots from Hayes. He’s only made them at a 27.2 percent clip. He’s an egregiously bad shooter off the catch, completely losing the rhythm he shoots with getting into his shot off the bounce. Has significant work to do there. And in that vein, if the jumper off the catch isn’t working all that well, he’s largely resigned to being an on-ball creator. Can he push off ball next to better players if he can’t shoot off the catch? Would need either this to improve or hope the entirety of the rest of his skillset translates.


SUMMARY: There is a real world where Hayes can become a high-level on-ball creator in the NBA. His creativity, feel for the game and potential to make plays is high. It’s fairly easy to see him turning into a top-half starting point guard. It’s easy to understand where the D’Angelo Russell comparison comes up. But I think Russell was way ahead of Hayes in terms of his craft on his handle and on his jumper. If Hayes can improve in those ways, he has a real shot to be a difference maker. But similarly to Russell, he could really struggle in isolation and need ball-screens to separate regularly. That’s not the worst thing in the world, but it does take longer to set those kind of plays up and it often results in the offense standing around while a re-set happens and those guys dribble the air out of the ball. James Harden can do it and make it efficient because he’s one of the best offensive players of all time. When someone like Russell does it, it’s effective but there are real diminishing returns. That’s the kind of player Hayes will likely be unless he really improves as a shooter off the bounce.


GRADE: Lottery


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Kira Lewis Jr. | G | Alabama | Birthdate: April 6, 2001 (Age: 19) | 6-3 | 175 LBS | Hometown: Meridianville, Ala.


BACKGROUND: One of the younger players in the draft class despite having played two years at Alabama. Parents are Kira Sr. and Natasha. Only attended high school for three years. Went to Hazel Green High in Alabama outside of Huntsville. Lewis was excellent in all three seasons for his age, making All-State in the final two seasons. Really emerged, though, in his final, junior season. Averaged nearly 30 points on his way to leading Hazel Green to the state semifinals. Was a finalist for Alabama’s Mr. Basketball award, but lost to Trendon Watford. Chose to graduate early, reclassify, and attend college a year sooner than expected. Was considered a consensus four-star prospect just outside of the top-35 in 2018. Committed to Alabama over Indiana, Kansas, Baylor and others. Immediately became the Crimson Tide’s starting point guard from Day One. Was the youngest player in college basketball in 2018-19, and achieved real success despite that being the case. Was named to the SEC’s All-Freshman team, and helped Alabama toward nearly making the NCAA Tournament as the team’s leading scorer. However, coach Avery Johnson was fired after Lewis’ freshman year. Led him to consider transferring. Put his name in the portal to hear from other schools. Ultimately decided to stay at Alabama under new coach Nate Oats, which was the right decision due to the team’s style of play. That summer, he also played at the Nike Basketball Academy and was selected for the Team USA U19 team that won the FIBA U19 World Cup last summer. In his sophomore season under Oats, Alabama played at the fourth-fastest tempo nationally. Lewis became one of the most productive players in all of college hoops. Was named first team All-SEC. Decided to declare for the draft following that sophomore season.


STRENGTHS: Has a case as the fastest player in the draft. Incredible speed, both in the open court and with his first step in the halfcourt. Will have very few issues blowing by most players. Particularly excels in the open floor. If he gets a loose ball, he’s gone and it’s a pick-six the other way. If he gets a rebound, he can grab and go in a hurry and create an odd-man break that just doesn’t look like it’s there. Worked perfectly in the construct of Alabama’s uptempo offense, where the goal was to push the pace all the time. He’ll do the same in the NBA, which will help his and his team’s efficiency in the way that they beat the defense down the court.

Has also really improved this year as a halfcourt player, though. Has built in some real diversity off the bounce. Better set up moves, better footwork in pick-and-roll. The great speed is there, and he gets downhill in a hurry while keeping control of the ball. At times, can look like he’s in fast-forward while the defense is playing at regular speed. But he can also maneuver around guys at high speed, as well. Absolutely hammers switches onto bigs or slight mistakes in hard hedge scenarios with his ability to split defenders. Very few bigs will be able to stay in front of him at the NBA level because he will blow by them. He generates a ton of shots at the rim, even in the halfcourt, up over four per game.

In that vein, he just scores at a high level. Gets buckets at all three levels. Generates shots at the rim, as mentioned above. Has a nice in-between game. Hit 20 floaters this year, although only made them at a 35.7 percent clip, which must improve. Comfortable stopping on a dime off and pulling up from midrange, where he made 10 of his 21 attempts from 12 to 18 feet. Can also hit the pull-up 3. More than that, though, he profiles well to playing off the ball next to a high-level wing creator because he can shoot off the catch. Lewis hit his jumpers off the catch at a 61.9 effective field goal percentage according to Synergy, making 26 such 3s. I absolutely buy into him as a shooter. Defenders largely have to stay attached at all times. He’s just a very real shot creator.

Having said that, Lewis used to get really sped up in the past. He did a better job of slowing down and being patient this year. Was more willing to take a pound dribble at the nail and keep a defender attached to his hip while surveying the court and seeing what the help would do. Started hitting the occasional cross-corner kickout and cross-wing kickout. Definitely more comfortable as a scorer, but not an uncomfortable passer and decision-maker anymore, either. And clearly on an upward trajectory as a playmaker as he continues to improve his pace.

Willing defender who fights through screens. Has very obvious strong lateral quickness. Really does a good job of getting over the top of screens, and would fit well in a drop-coverage scheme because of his speed and willingness to contest in recovery. Off the ball, he has great instincts for when he can take a swipe in a dig situation or gamble on jumping a passing lane. Sometimes gets a bit gamble-y, but generally takes calculated risks without getting too far out of position. And even when he does get himself out of position, his recovery speed is terrific.


WEAKNESSES: Really needs to add strength and weight to his 175-pound frame. Shows up most around the basket. Not the best finisher at the rim because he often fades away from contact. Made under 50 percent of his shots at the basket in halfcourt settings according to Synergy. Does a good job of trying to use his length to extend and finish when he gets there, and can change the angle on rim protectors. But if he gets bumped, it arrests his momentum and he slows way down. Generally not an explosive vertical athlete with pop, which is where the comparison to someone like De’Aaron Fox falls flat.

Needs to improve the tightness of his handle. Can get loose with it, which leads to strips and turnovers. In general, Lewis turned it over 3.5 times per game this season, which led to about a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. A lot of those turnovers end up being ball control turnovers where he seems to get out ahead of himself a bit with his speed. Should improve with age, but he’ll need to really work on his control and continue to improve his patience.

Have some concerns defensively about putting him in a switch-y scheme. Just doesn’t have the strength right now to hold up at the point of attack. Gets pushed through regularly, and gets driven way more often than you’d like to see. Doesn’t have much lower or upper body strength in comparison to NBA guards. Without that requisite strength level, there is a chance he could be a real negative on defense even with the high effort levels.


SUMMARY: I’m a bit higher on Lewis than the consensus because the speed is just so real. He’s going to be able to create separation at a high level in the NBA, and he’s able to finish plays relatively well with his shooting acumen. The ability to get separation, then finish plays is a combination that tends work at a high level in the NBA. I think he has a real chance to be a starting point guard in the NBA. How high he rises will depend on how good he gets as a finisher, and how much his frame develops over the next few years. If he can get into the 190-pound range, improve his core strength and ability to play through contact, and maintain the speed that makes him so effective, Lewis could legitimately be a top-half of the NBA starting guard. He’s never going to be an elite finisher, but if he can improve his floater game and start to accept contact, it would really open up his developing playmaking ability. That’s because teams would have to respect him at the basket with more dedicated help defenders. I actually think the upside here is quite high if the strength keeps coming along. I’d pretty comfortably take him in the lottery.


GRADE: Lottery


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Tyrese Maxey | G | Kentucky | Birthdate: Nov. 4, 2000 (Age: 20) | 6-3 | 200 LBS | Hometown: Dallas, Texas


BACKGROUND: Parents are Denise and Tyrone. Dad played basketball at Washington State. Tyrese is very smart. Finished in the top-five percent of his high school’s graduating class. Has an encyclopedic knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Engaging personality and he performs well in interviews. Went to South Garland High in Dallas. Quickly identified as an elite player within his class due to performances on the AAU circuit and in high school. Played for RM5 and was consistently among the best players in the Nike EYBL. For South Garland, was named all-state in Texas in 2018 and 2019. Won Texas Mr. Basketball in 2019 as the best player in the state. National All-American in high school and made the McDonald’s All-American game. Also played at Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic. Has been involved with Team USA basketball from an early age, too, winning a gold medal at the FIBA U18 Tournament in Canada in 2018. Consensus five-star recruit who was ranked in the top-10 of his class by the end of his senior year. Chose Kentucky over Texas, SMU, Michigan and Michigan State. Had a monster opening night against Michigan State where he was the best player on the floor in a high-profile Champions’ Classic game. Then settled into a secondary role on Kentucky behind Immanuel Quickley. Still, was recognized for his high-level play as a freshman. Was SEC All-Freshman, and made second team All-SEC. Continued academic success, too, as he was named freshman All-Academic Honor Roll in the SEC. Was an expected one-and-done and lived up to that expectation as he declared for the 2020 NBA Draft following his freshman season.


STRENGTHS: Good size and length for a combo guard in the NBA at 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-6 wingspan. Consistently plays hard. Also has a great frame. Very strong and physical at 200 pounds. Well-built and will translate to the NBA in that regard. Looks like an NFL safety. Uses that physicality and strength well to play through contact at a high level.

Maxey’s best skill right now is his scoring instinct. He has great feel for how to score the ball. Plays with tremendous tempo as a ballhandler with all sorts of inside-outs and hesitation moves. Likes to jab step to try to get the defender off balance. Kind of like a junk baller pitcher in the ways that he tries to get a defender leaning. Good shooter at lower levels, with projectable touch and shot mechanics. Honestly, the pull-up shot looks great. He has terrific rhythm and it’s incredibly smooth. It’s an easy shot. Really gets into his pull-up game at a high level. Great balance coming in and out of his moves makes him a threat to pull-up from almost any angle, and going to either his right or his left. Unsurprisingly, that makes him a pretty real threat, particularly in the midrange. Maxey hit a ton of pull-up midrange jumpers this season, and did so from all sorts of projectable situations given the way that teams play that area now. You give him a ball-screen or an advantage situation attacking a closeout and he can really get to that pull-up whenever he wants.

Also has a tremendous floater game. Great touch. Was top-25 nationally in points scored off of floaters this season with 52 according to Synergy. Really does a great job of getting downhill and stopping on a dime and popping up with a quick-release push shot. That touch also extends to when he’s driving toward the rim. Absorbs contact well after getting downhill. Keeps his eye at the rim and really does a great job of lofting up a shot with touch that has a chance to go in. Great footwork around the rim, as well. One-footed leaper who does a great job of keeping rim protectors off of their angle. Can be a real contortionist in the air to get the angle he needs to finish. Makes it really tough on them to time when to go up to protect the rim. His 52.5 percent mark around the rim in the halfcourt was only about average nationally, but it’s a solid mark for a combo guard.

A very good defender. Love his potential as an on-ball defender. Plays really hard on that end, and uses his length and strength to really bother opponents. Attacks with forward jumps into offensive players’ bodies, then can slide to stay in front and recover. Really just pesters and makes it hard on ballhandlers. Again, because of his strength it’s really hard for guys to go through him. He slides and cuts off the angle, then absorbs contact if someone tries to play through him. Again, this is where you see his overall balance shine. Fights through screens at a high level. Can guard up the lineup a bit because of that strength, although his 6-6 wingspan isn’t overly long and makes him a threat to get shot over the top of. Also generally does a good job off the ball. He talks to his teammates well, and shoots passing lanes. You can’t throw lazy passes around him. Pretty good rotationally and good on switches.


WEAKNESSES: Did only hit 29.2 percent from 3 this season despite those projectable traits. Why? He has had a penchant for inconsistency early in his career, and takes tough shots. Additionally, has a very low release point. That leads to two things happening more often for him than it does for others. First, he gets contested a bit more easily than other shooters. In order to combat that, he often has to move back and take deeper 3s, which obviously are a bit tougher than 3s right behind the line. Not always awesome as a spot-up shooter as it takes him an extra split second to load into the shot with a ball dip to push him into rhythm. When combined with the low release point, he has to get rid of that to reach his ceiling as a shooter.

While he does have great balance, he does not have terrific burst or pop. That lack of explosiveness held him back a bit even at the college level. Struggled a bit as an isolation scorer, because guys can stay in front of him. If a defender is disciplined in what he’s doing and doesn’t fall for all of the jab steps and hesitations, he can really nullify what Maxey is doing. Maxey will need to find an offense that has him play off of constant ball-screens, dribble-handoffs and movement to get him separation, because he can often end up taking tougher shots without them. You’ll also see at times how the lack of vertical pop around the rim can hinder him as a finisher.

Finally, I’ll note that his passing is a bit weak for a guy slated to play as a combo guard. Averaged over three assists per game, but his passes are mostly of the easy read variety. He misses a lot of passes that are available in favor of tougher shots. Just doesn’t always see them as he’ll get tunnel-vision. Ultimately, that’s a question of where he fits best in the NBA. He’s best defending on the ball, and his pull-up game is terrific. But he’s not nearly a good enough distributor to play the point right now, even in a score-first conscious-NBA. What role does he play on a winning team? Can he fit into every situation?


SUMMARY: Ultimately, I think Maxey will find success in the NBA, and the key will be role. Teams with big wing initiators who play on the ball a lot should look at Maxey as a high-level option. Think of Boston with Jayson Tatum, Miami with Jimmy Butler, Dallas with Luka Doncic, and plenty others. The role where he’ll work best is as the nominal point guard, where he can be a monster at point of attack defense and just work to space the floor and create plays out of advantageous situations as a scorer. Almost a secondary ballhandler role at the lead spot. I don’t really think Maxey quite has the burst to consistently break down defenders in the way he needs to play as a primary, and I don’t think his distribution skills are advanced enough. But if he can play next to someone who can break down defenders in the primary action, he’s going to be incredibly useful out of secondary actions due to his pull-up game, the projection of his jumper, and his ability to get downhill and finish. Throw in defense, and I think Maxey has a chance to affect winning at a real level in the right situation.

GRADE: Late lottery to No. 20.