Tyrese Maxey declares for NBA Draft; Where he projects in mock drafts

As you all expected, Kentucky freshman Tyrese Maxey has officially declared for this summer’s NBA Draft.

Though the Coronavirus robbed us of a postseason this year, we still got to see plenty of Maxey up close and personal. Starting with his wildly entertaining 26 points in the season-opener against Michigan State, all of Big Blue Nation knew they had a star in Maxey. However, we’ll never know how much potential he truly had.

With his declaration for the draft, it’s almost certain that Maxey will be selected as a lottery pick. Coming out of high school, the freshman guard was the country’s 10th-best prospect and third-best combo guard. He hung around most lottery mock drafts throughout the season, and while an average of 14 points per game for his freshman season don’t jump off your screen, he’s still in the lottery of many current mock drafts.

CBS Sports remains high on Maxey, slotting him fifth to try and revive the Minnesota Timberwolves. His ability to score as well as make plays for others is a dying need for a point guard-less team.

NBC Sports Washington isn’t far behind, predicting Maxey to land with the Charlotte Hornets at No. 8. While the team did just sign combo guard Terry Rozier to a rather hefty deal, it would be so Hornet-like to draft a position they don’t immediately need. Maxey would have the opportunity to join PJ Washington in Charlotte.

Just one slot behind Charlotte currently stand the Washington Wizards. With John Wall’s injuries truly up in the air, it would be rather smart for Washington to go after his successor. As FanSided has predicted, Maxey would be a solid choice at No. 9.

On March 23rd, NBA Draft Room interestingly (and likely irrationally) predicted Maxey to fall all the way to 27th in their most recent mock draft. While the comparison to Lou Williams make a ton of sense, it’s hard to even imagine a talent such as Maxey falling that far.

This was one of the very few mock drafts to have Maxey outside of the lottery. While anything is a possibility, Maxey’s upside and motor should lock him in to being a top-15 pick.