By: Kylan Watson
The Philadelphia 76ers came in to a unique 2020-21 offseason with a revamped front office, with one goal to maximize the roster around the talents of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. As they entered the 2020 NBA Draft with that goal in mind, they selected Tyrese Maxey a talented guard from the University of Kentucky. With the talent and potential, he has, he might just be the steal of the draft for them.
The Sixers had the 21st pick and in most mock drafts they were going to take Tyrell Terry. Who was a talented guard out of Stanford University. Terry had been rising on some draft boards because of his shooting abilities and ball-handling skills. However, the Sixers went with the young Maxey.
He is a two-level scorer who can create his own shot. That skillset is something the Sixers desperately need someone who can go get a shot. He averaged 14.0 points per game, grabbed 4.3 rebounds, and hit 29.2% from three-point range.
“I was back and forth, I wanted Tyrese in Miami. I thought he should have gone earlier. Let me just tell ya, there’s going to be a lot of people who are going to regret that they passed on him,” said John Calipari Head Coach of the University of Kentucky Men’s basketball team.
Maxey has all the talent and potential in the world. However, one of his weaknesses is scoring consistency. He scored single digit points in nine of his 28 games as a freshman at Kentucky.
He will need to become a more consistent shooter. He will have opportunities for open shots playing around Embiid and Simmons. Simmons in particular leads the league in creating wide open three-point shots for his teammates. Maxey will get his share of opportunities.
The good thing for him is he will be coached by somebody who turned another former Kentucky player into an NBA star in Doc Rivers. He knows how to coach and has a great staff and teammates around him who should be able to help him develop.
On Maxey “I like him,” said Doc Rivers.
With this selection of Maxey, the Sixers are clearly prioritizing a roster that will optimize and maximize the skills of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Maxey should fit perfectly around those two and if he develops a more consistent scoring ability, he could be the steal of the draft, and the player Philly has been waiting a long time for.
