NBA Draft 2020: Top 3 options for the Boston Celtics with the No. 14 pick

Possible NBA Draft target for Boston Celtics — Tyrese Maxey

Guard | Kentucky | 6’3 | 198 lbs | 20 years old

Danny Ainge has a type. He likes players who resemble himself, in terms of the fearlessness and competitive drive that he played with; he’s quite fond of prestigious high school prospects who went under the radar while in college; functional strength and physical tools are paramount to having a positive impact against NBA-caliber athletes; and two-way upside is almost a requirement.

If any player in the 2020 NBA Draft checks those boxes, it’s Kentucky combo guard Tyrese Maxey, a 6’3 bulldog who scores at the rim with strength and touch, who defends his tail off at the point of attack, and who flashes real, attainable upside as one of the better secondary creators in the class because of his reliable spot-up scoring and connective passing.

His passing vision is admittedly average and his pedestrian handle may prove to be obstacles to reaching primary upside, but Maxey still offers enough complementary passing and scoring once a team’s initiators — in this instance, Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum — have already created advantages for others to capitalize on.

Maxey wins at the basket in a multitude of ways, using his strength and elasticity to absorb contact without flinching, body control to evade rim protectors and re-extend midair, and truly special touch, both on long-range floaters and glass-kissing finger-rolls.

He offers a real boost in terms of intermediate scoring, which is seriously needed considering Walker and Tatum’s struggles finishing at the basket and on floaters. Maxey finished 65.1% of his rim attempts this year per barttorvik.com despite a mere 19.7% of them being assisted, speaking to his talents as a downhill slasher.

There are some concerns present regarding how his perimeter shot translates after hitting 29.2% of his 113 three-point attempts at Kentucky, but between his track record at the foul line (83.1% free throw shooter between Kentucky and HS/AAU), impressive floater touch, and amount of unassisted two-point jumpers (38 makes), there are indicators in his favor. Plus, the shot is smooth and functional off the bounce and off the catch, even with the flat arc and lower release point.

Maxey’s strength also shows up on the defensive end, where he has legitimate potential to be a positive force despite being a 6’3 guard without outlier length (6’7 wingspan). He moves his feet quickly, gets low in his stance with admirable regularity, mirrors ball-handlers well, and flat-out competes on that end of the floor.

He should be a slight positive as a team defender, despite his lackluster steal percentage (1.5 STL%), showcasing a keen understanding of where to be and when to stunt/dig on drivers, along with decent body control and verticality when making interior rotations.

Walker was head-hunted often during the postseason and is certain to face similar issues in the future, so adding another competent defensive guard would be huge for Boston. Plus, a backup guard duo of Maxey and Marcus Smart would be quite the defensive pairing.

Tyrese Maxey is a quintessential Danny Ainge draft pick and should be seriously considered with the No. 14 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, should Ainge and the Celtics stand pat. Trades are being looked into, both for acquiring star talent and for moving up into the upper half of the lottery, but there are still valuable options on the board when Boston is on the clock.