Kentucky guard Tyrese Maxey has declared for the NBA draft, per ESPN’s Malika Andrews. The freshman joins fellow Wildcats guard Ashton Hagans, who has also entered the 2020 draft class. Maxey tells Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com that he intends to forgo his remaining eligibility and keep his name in the draft.
“I felt like now that I’ve gone through the process of college and played for a great coach (John Calipari) and I feel like he has prepared me to declare the Draft and move on to the next level,” Maxey said to Daniels.
Maxey was Kentucky’s third-leading scorer in 2019/20, averaging 14.0 PPG in 31 games (34.5 MPG), to go along with 4.3 RPG and 3.2 APG. He recorded a shooting line of .427/.292/.833.
ESPN has Maxey ranked eighth overall on its big board, projecting him to be a versatile two-way combo guard at the NBA level. According to Jonathan Givony, Maxey is an “instinctive scorer who excels in transition” and is very physical defensively, though his shot selection and decision-makers are considered “works in progress.”
So more like a Sexton than a Garland, but regardless, hopefully the Cavs pass on him.
Cavs will take Ball. You heard it here first.
Where does one declare for the draft?
I am just picturing Steve Carell standing in the middle of the office saying “I DECLARE BANKRUPTCY” out loud. Thank you for giving me an unintentional smile.
Mackey got talent. Needs consistency and become more a system player. He plays D and athletically he is ready. He’s a lottery pick 10-14. Will need time. Has potential as a solid 2way player. Could also slip top 20. I believe you file with NBA to declare.
I am a huge UK fan, so I watched Maxey play quite a bit. He has talent, of that there is no doubt. But he is very inconsistent and he plays completely out of control too much for my taste. He also tries to be a one man team way too often. For every highlight reel shot that his out of control style makes, there are boneheaded plays such as shooting the ball into the bottom of the backboard or trying unsuccessfully to beat a quadruple team.
I hope he does well in the pros and I enjoyed watching him at times at Kentucky, but to be honest, I won’t miss him.