10. TYRESE MAXEY, Guard, Kentucky
Tyrese Maxey‘s freshman campaign at Kentucky was one of ups and downs. He wasn’t terribly consistent on offense, and mustered an unsavory 29.2 percent success rate from deep. And yet, despite a number of flaws, he still cracks my top-10.
It’s difficult to categorize Maxey as anything other than a winner. He lacks elite-level athleticism, but he’s still has juice in his knees. He dominates the point of attack on defense, he competes hard to force turnovers, and he’s a skilled offensive player who, in the right situation, could blossom it a very good one.
Maxey is billed consistently as an A+ kid who plays smart and wants to improve. He already scores effortlessly inside the three-point arc, and a slight tweak to his three-point mechanics could yield impressive results from range. If the jumper comes around, Maxey has the competitive edge and the all-around talent to earn his place in the lottery.