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Numerous Kentucky Wildcats will test their luck in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Tyrese Maxey, EJ Montgomery, Nick Richards, Immanuel Quickly and Ashton Hagans have all entered their names. However, it’s unlikely that even three of the five will be taken, and it’d be shocking to see even two names rattled off in the first 30 picks.
As it stands, all have been projected to be taken in some mock drafts outside of power forward EJ Montgomery.
That said, let’s dive into where recent mock drafts have the Cats going. Many of these drafts only predict the first round, so Maxey is the only Cat to be selected in most of them.
Bleacher Report (written by Zach Buckley)
16. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Brooklyn Nets): Tyrese Maxey
The Ringer draft rankings by Kevin O’Connor)
Tyrese Maxey — No. 11
“Shot maker with a knack for making clutch plays on offense and defense; he’s a winner.” More on Maxey is in the link.
Immanuel Quickley — No. 38
“Elite shooter with a high basketball IQ, but lacks ideal passing skills for a guard his size.”
DK Nation (written by Ameer Tyree)
15. Orlando Magic: Tyrese Maxey
247 Sports (written by Lance Cartelli)
16. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Brooklyn Nets): Tyrese Maxey
“Maxey is undersized, sure, but the Kentucky guard knows how to get to the basket. The former five-star prospect should also be a capable defender at the next level. The T-Wolves could put Maxey to good use when they need big stops since the existing Minnesota roster can sometimes lose focus on D.”
CBS Sports (written Matt Norlander)
11. San Antonio Spurs: Tyrese Maxey
“I have a hunch Maxey’s going to go higher than most others are projecting him to go. He was an elite five-star recruit when he picked Kentucky, and Kentucky one-and-done players are often given the benefit of the doubt. In Lexington, it’s fair to say he (slightly) underachieved. Maxey was good, but objectively he was not one of the 10 best freshmen in college basketball last season. Nevertheless, he did enough, and still has the athleticism, playmaking charisma and physical attributes to pop into the top 10. He’ll likely be a gunner (I use the term courteously) at the next level. The biggest issue is his 3-point shooting. Maxey made 29.2% of his 113 3-pointers last season. There will be general managers who believe they can fix that. In reality, Maxey was Kentucky’s third best player, though he did learn to play with some unselfishness that should help his case to go in the lottery.”