Pelica Debrief
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New Orleans Pelicans: Tyrese Maxey Could be the Draft’s Best Scorer

By Aaron Kellerstrass

Tyrese Maxey #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats could be a bench scorer for the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Tyrese Maxey #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats could be a bench scorer for the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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New Orleans Pelicans, Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Maxey could be a bench scorer for the New Orleans Pelicans. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

Tyrese Maxey’s Strengths

Maxey has proven himself to be a dynamic scorer who can get buckets from just about anywhere on the floor.

He has an array of floaters, can shoot off the dribble and has the ability to fight off defenders and finish through contact in the paint.

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Maxey is not tall at 6-foot-3 and has just a 6-foot-5 wingspan, but he weighs just under 200 lbs. so he has a solid frame that allows him to keep defenders at bay.

Maxey has also shown he is not afraid of the big moment. He scored 26 points early in the season against Michigan State, including knocking down the game winner from deep:

This type of confidence in a freshman bodes well at the next level, where he has the athleticism and scoring ability to be a player similar to Donovan Mitchell.

Maxey could very well end up being the best scorer in this draft, but he does have some weaknesses.

Tyrese Maxey’s Weaknesses

Though Maxey is a creative, strong and gifted offensive player, his long-range shooting was poor in his only season with Kentucky.

Maxey shot just 29.2 percent from 3-point range on 3.6 attempts per game, not great for an NBA shooting guard.

Part of this could be that Maxey was asked to do a lot for Kentucky. His usage rate of 22.7% is high for a top college program, where the offense is generally spread more evenly than smaller schools who rely on one guy.

Maxey had the ball in his hands a lot and mostly looked to score, averaging just 3.2 assists per game against 2.2 turnovers, a ratio that would have to improve.

At 6-foot-3, Maxey doesn’t have great size for the position and may be better suited to guarding point guards in the NBA.

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Though he shown the ability to flash into passing lanes for steals, Maxey is not a great individual defender, but he has the frame to develop into more of a stopper down the road.

Maxey is the prototypical shoot-first guard who will put up points in bunches, but may not get many others involved in the offense.

The question is how would be fit on the New Orleans Pelicans?