Kentucky Basketball: Can upcoming freshman Tyrese Maxey win SEC POY?

Kentucky Basketball has a lot of stars declaring for the NBA Draft, but they have enough talent coming in to make up for it. Can Tyrese Maxey win SEC POY?

As the 2018-19 season closes, it is that time of year when players make the decision to either declare for the NBA Draft or stay in school. This season, like most, there are tons of players from the SEC who have decided to leave college early. Some were expected, like PJ Washington leaving Kentucky Basketball. Some were considered to be a coin flip, like Jared Harper leaving Auburn. Some were complete surprises, like Simisola Shittu leaving Vanderbilt.

In the midst of the changes, Grant Williams decided to leave Tennessee. This wasn’t a surprise at all. He is a stud for the Volunteers, and he has done enough to prove that he deserves to be drafted.

With Williams gone, there is a question as to who will be the frontrunner to win SEC Player of the Year. Williams won the award the past two years, and the other two in contention for it this year (Washington and Tremont Waters) have declared for the Draft. It seems to be anyone’s award to win this year. As fans look into who will excel in the upcoming season, I have a name they should be looking out for: Tyrese Maxey.

More from Kentucky Wildcats

• Kentucky Basketball: Wildcats fill out rotation with center Zvonimir Ivisic
• Kentucky Basketball: Ugonna Onyenso injury rains on a bright past week
• Kentucky Basketball: 3 things to watch for upcoming GLOBL JAM Games
• Kentucky Basketball: Wildcats hoping to benefit from Jayden Quaintance reclassification
• Kentucky Basketball: Wild offseason reaching conclusion with 2 roster spots left

Maxey is a combo guard who is currently ranked as the 9th-best prospect in his class by 247Sports. He can attack the rim with his athleticism, but he has the natural skill to shoot at the perimeter. His size has a little left to be desired, but his tenacity makes up for it. In Calipari’s system, he has room to grow and succeed.

There will surely be a lot of debate for who can win SEC Player of the Year, so I decided to go ahead  and get things started.

Reasons he can win

The first reason is simply because he’s a natural baller. Also, the name on the front of his jersey will help him. Without a true frontrunner, voters will naturally look for the best players on the best teams, and Maxey will certainly be on one of the best teams in the conference.

Also, there seems to be a hole that Maxey can fill with the Wildcats. With Ashton Hagans returning, Maxey can fill in as the scoring guard alongside him. Hagans is more of a facilitator, leading the team in assists last year. They could become one of the best tandems in the SEC.

The biggest reason why Maxey can win is just because there currently is no frontrunner. All of the SEC’s stars are leaving. That makes a perfect storm for a freshman to win the award.

Reasons he won’t win

There is honestly a lot going against him. Firstly, he’s not the best recruit coming into the SEC. Heck, he isn’t even the best recruit joining the Wildcats. Kahlil Whitney will be a star wing for the Wildcats this season. Also, Anthony Edwards is one of the best players in the class, and he is joining the Georgia Bulldogs.

There might be no frontrunners in the SEC, but there is still a ton of talent. If Chuma Okeke returns from his ACL injury near 100%, he might win. Lamar Peters still hasn’t declared for the NBA, so he might return for Mississippi State. Kira Lewis is a dark horse candidate in Alabama’s new offensive system under Nate Oats.

Despite all of this, the biggest concern with Maxey will be his role in the Kentucky system. They are stacked at guard. He will be fighting for minutes next to Hagans and Immanuel Quickley at both guard positions. Tyler Herro might also return for the Wildcats, taking shots away from Maxey. It’s a cliche, but there’s only one ball in the game, and there will be a lot of mouths to feed. They all might lose the award to a winner in a system that revolves around only them.

My prediction

It’s irresponsible to predict for a freshman to win the award now while they are still in high school. That being said, I still think that Maxey will be one of the frontrunners to win SEC Player of the Year. He has the skills, the system, and the pedigree. Anthony Edwards might be a better prospect, but he will have to carry Georgia for him to be considered.

It will be months before this picture becomes any clearer than it is right now. As it clears, though, I wouldn’t be shocked if Tyrese Maxey will come more into focus.