Tyrese Maxey is too good for Denver Nuggets to ignore at 22

The Nuggets currently hold the No. 22 pick in the NBA Draft. Over the next month, the DNVR Nuggets crew will examine who Denver may pick with that selection. Make sure to mark your calendar for Wednesday, November 18, the night of the draft, and DNVR Nuggets Draft Day LIVE streaming on Periscope and YouTube.”

Who is Tyrese Maxey?

Tyrese Maxey played his high school ball for South Garland in Garland, Texas. Maxey was a 5-star recruit and one of the top-ranked players in his class (2019) before attending the University of Kentucky for his lone season in the NCAA.

Maxey debuted for the Wildcats in a matchup with top-ranked Michigan State. He scored 26 of Kentucky’s 69 points in a win, setting the tone for a strong season. He started in 28 of 31 active games averaging 14 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per contest. That was enough to earn Second Team All-SEC and All-Freshman Team honors.

Standing 6’3″ and around 200 lbs., Maxey is a capable but not overwhelming athlete at the point guard position. He was a legitimate scoring threat in high school and college, but he doesn’t rely on elite quickness or a lethal outside shot. He finishes with both hands, is adept at navigating screens as a score-first ball-handler, can shoot off the dribble from inside the arc, and isn’t afraid to receive contact on his way to the rack.

While Maxey’s ability to improvise and get himself going is valued at the next level, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to create his own shot at a particularly high volume in the NBA, and he won’t be creating many scoring opportunities for others. His two-way prowess is what makes him such an appealing prospect. He’s a tenacious point of attack defender with a high motor and a versatile player’s requisite strength, although his size could limit that range. A strong frame and neat footwork allow him to fight through and slip around screens adroitly. As an off-ball defender, you can count on him to be where he’s expected. A coach looking to shore up the team defense should welcome a player like Maxey with open arms.

Strengths

• Finishing at the rim.
• High Motor.
• Excellent on-ball defender.
• Reliable off-ball defender.

Weaknesses

• Lacks elite quickness/burst.
• Some spot-up potential but didn’t shoot well in college and not yet a skilled off-movement shooter.
• Handle.
• Lacks great vision, not a playmaker

How does Maxey fit with the Nuggets?

Offense

Maxey’s fit in Denver isn’t perfect given the stable full of young guards already on the roster, but he’s too talented to ignore that late in the draft. By my count, only two of Denver’s five guards can consistently create their own shot — Jamal Murray and Will Barton III. While Maxey shouldn’t be viewed as a primary option, he can get himself cooking alongside other legitimate playmakers. Between Murray, Nikola Jokić, a healthy Barton, and a trustworthy Monte Morris, Denver can deploy various lineups that wouldn’t require Maxey to overextend himself. He might enjoy a high comfort level in Denver, where he’s not asked to be anything but himself.

I’d be surprised if an NBA team finds themselves relying on his scoring, but don’t let the praise for his defense confuse you — Maxey’s not a specialist. He can provide scoring in bursts with a starting unit one day on the high end of the projection. More realistically, he provides a boost off the bench. Perhaps the best way to view him in Denver would be an alternative to the Torrey Craig and/or Dozier substitutions. Too often, Malone finds himself choosing between defense or offense, sacrificing one for the other. In theory, and through the lens of an optimist, Maxey appears as a solution — a stout POA defender that has more to offer on offense with the right personnel surrounding him.

It’s easy to get swept up in the high-end projections come Mock Draft Season. Should the Nuggets draft Maxey, fans should also consider the low-end outcomes. What if Maxey’s shooting numbers are more revealing than his promising mechanics? What if his handle doesn’t improve? Does Denver really need another defender that can’t shoot or create for others? There’s depth, and then there’s redundancy. The Maxey pick might swing to the latter.

Defense

Adding a strong POA defender might be a wise insurance policy if Denver is truly considering moving on from Gary Harris.

At the moment, Harris, Craig, and Dozier are far and away the best perimeter defenders on the team. However, the former had his offensive skill set zapped by the Monstars, Dozier is still raw and lacks a reliable jumper, and the latter never had much of a skill set to begin with. There’s a world in which Denver enters the next season without Craig or Harris. In that world, the Maxey pick makes a lot of sense.

It’s hard to imagine a late first-round pick will crack the rotation anytime soon one way or another. Still, he’s ready to defend NBA guards right now, and in that sense, is probably closer to helping a team right away than other candidates that low in the draft.