LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY – FEBRUARY 15: Tyrese Maxey #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Tyrese Maxey will almost certainly be a first-round pick.
As the 2020 NBA Draft draws closer, Kentucky will send another potential lottery pick into the fold in the form of combo guard Tyrese Maxey. A deadly slasher with plus defense, great passing, and an ability to catch fire as a shooter, Maxey, while a little on the raw side, looks like a potential lottery pick.
Any team worth their salt will do their homework on Maxey, but these five places look like the most likely landing spots.
These five teams should take a long, hard look at Tyrese Maxey
5
Philadelphia 76ers
Atlantic
Philly owns the 21st pick in the draft, meaning Maxey would likely need to take a bit of a pre-draft slide to end up here. Considering how streaky he was at times, this can’t be totally ruled out just yet. If he does take a little tumble down the draft order, his descent could end in Philadelphia. Anyone with a functioning brain could see that the lack of spacing and shooting is what ultimately did in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in the postseason. Maxey would help fix all of that on Day 1.
While Elton Brand is still around, the addition of Daryl Morey, the man more obsessed with number-crunching and shooting than anyone else in the league, means that some major changes on this roster are coming. Maxey’s 29 percent three-point clip last year doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence, but teams have reason to believe the spacing of the NBA and less defensive attention on him could improve those statistics.
A shooting guard with the handles and court-vision to play point if the need arises, Maxey could be a solid contributor off the bench in Year 1 for a win-now Sixers team before becoming a full-time starter in Year 2 and beyond.