3 draft day Tyrese Maxey takes that were laughably wrong

Shaky Tyrese Maxey NBA Draft take: "Defensively, he’s a coach’s dream"

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has been covering the draft for years. He gave the Sixers a 'B+', citing Maxey's potential as a shooter while incorrectly noting his 'lack' of burst. But that's not the primary bone to pick right now. Wasserman was actually too optimistic about one aspect of Maxey's game.

"Defensively, he's a coach's dream. He'll never get outworked at that end, and he uses his length (6'6" wingspan) and instincts to keep players in front of him."

There was certainly a strong foundation for Wasserman's take at the time. Maxey was a tenacious defender at Kentucky and his athleticism popped constantly, as it does in the NBA. He's strong for his size with speedy legs and fairly long arms. It wasn't unreasonable to project him as a very good NBA defender.

Unfortunately, while the offense has exceeded expectations, Maxey's defense has been a major disappointment. Maxey was far from Doc Rivers' dream on defense. The young guard was constantly berated in practice and during games due to his lack of awareness on that end. Maxey takes hard coaching extremely well and he's motivated to improve every aspect of his game, but the speedster has struggled to translate his athletic gifts into anything more than the occasional defensive highlight.

Maxey is straight up one of the worst defenders on the Sixers' roster, a frequent source of breakdowns and opponent targeting. Teams will relentlessly hunt Maxey in the playoffs due to his short stature and he's a genuine weakness on that end. There's time enough for the 22-year-old to improve, but he is far removed from Wasserman's lofty draft night appraisal on defense.