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Detroit Pistons 2020 Draft profile: Kentucky’s Tyrese Maxey

By Blake Stackpoole

LEXINGTON, KY - JANUARY 04: Tyrese Maxey #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats brings the ball up court during the game against the Missouri Tigers at Rupp Arena on January 4, 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - JANUARY 04: Tyrese Maxey #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats brings the ball up court during the game against the Missouri Tigers at Rupp Arena on January 4, 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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LEXINGTON, KY – JANUARY 04: Tyrese Maxey #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats brings the ball up court during the game against the Missouri Tigers at Rupp Arena on January 4, 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY – JANUARY 04: Tyrese Maxey #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats brings the ball up court during the game against the Missouri Tigers at Rupp Arena on January 4, 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

The Detroit Pistons aren’t out of the playoff race but our team is getting a jump start on scouting the 2020 NBA Draft. Here’s Kentucky’s Tyrese Maxey.

The other Tyrese likely to go in the lottery in this summer’s NBA draft is Kentucky’s Tyrese Maxey. Standing at 6-foot-3, 198 pounds, Maxey is one of the nation’s top combo guards. While he was recruited as a shooting guard, Maxey is a little undersized for that position but looking at players like Collin Sexton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who are thriving in a combo guard/second point guard role sharing the backcourt with Darius Garland and Chris Paul, respectively. Maxey came in as the 13th recruit in the country getting a 5-star rating and a 95 rating out of 100.

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Despite coming in as a top recruit to John Calipari’s Kentucky, Maxey found himself coming off the bench in the season opener against Michigan State. Tyrese came off the bench and took over Madison Square Garden scoring 26 points on 7-of-11 shooting including 9-of-10 on free throws and 3-of-7 from 3-point range.

Maxey’s 26 points came against Wooden Award favorite and Michigan State guard Cassius Winston. Maxey showed his clutch gene as he drained a 3-pointer to put Kentucky up five points with a minute to go. This shot was from Curry and Lillard range and caused Dickie V to repeatedly yell “Are you serious?!” cementing Maxey’s spot at the top of the draft.

Based on his role off the bench an obvious comparison is a Lou Williams-type player, but more fitting comparisons are, NBA Champion and Piston legend Vinnie Johnson the “Microwave”, and Collin Sexton.