Hollinger of The Athletic on Maxey. Has him going at 26, not even late lottery but late first round. Why would the Knicks pick a guy @ 8 like Payne says, like I said I hope he’s a better coach than scout.
26. Tyrese Maxey, SG/PG, Kentucky
He’s okay. I mean, that’s what you’re dealing with at this point. Maxey has become something of a Mock Draft Guy – he is theoretically an athletic guard who had high-lottery hype early in the year, but his production was pretty meh. In particular, his rebound-steal-block numbers were very poor for this type of player.
Defensively, he’s not a disruptive defender and doesn’t anticipate or get his hands on balls, but he is a good lateral athlete who can stay in a stance, slide his feet, and keep drivers from getting anywhere important. Between that and his solid frame, he should be able to guard most 2s despite being short for the position.
Maxey didn’t shoot the 3 well at Kentucky (29.2 percent), but between his free-throw shooting, his high school numbers and the eye test on his shooting form, it seems he can get to a decent level as a pro 3-point shooter. While he is more likely to play the two as a pro, he showed an ability to split traps off the dribble and had a solid assist rate (5.5 dimes per 100 in SEC play) for a guy who mostly played off the ball.
Add all those things up and there’s enough hope that he can be a useful combo-ish rotation guard to take the plunge here.
