3 draft day Tyrese Maxey takes that were laughably wrong

Shaky Tyrese Maxey NBA Draft take: "I don’t really think Maxey quite has the burst to consistently break down defenders"

Few do the NBA Draft better than The Athletic scribe Sam Vecenie, who gushingly appraised the Sixers' decision to pick Maxey. He liked the fit but for a few of the wrong reasons.

"The role where he’ll work best is as the nominal point guard, where he can defend at the point of attack and work to space the floor and create plays out of advantageous situations as a scorer. I don’t really think Maxey quite has the burst to consistently break down defenders in the way he needs to play as a primary. But he has real value if he can play off of someone."

Vecenie is right on a lot of points here. Maxey is best as a nominal point guard who defends ones but plays off of other creators, a la James Harden or Joel Embiid. He doesn't function particularly well as a primary due to his limited feel as a passer, but he's great at spacing the floor and attacking seams in the defense.

It doesn't feel like Vecenie quite nailed the reason for Maxey's struggles as a primary, though. Maxey absolutely has the burst necessary to one day develop into a primary. He's one of the fastest players in the league, frequently sprinting up the floor, ball in hand, to finish layups before the defense can even react. Maxey's acceleration speed is reminiscent of a sports car and his first step allows him to collapse the defense on a regular basis, despite his lack of shifty dribble moves.

Maxey has also put in hours upon hours of work every offseason to deepen his bag and expand his skill set. The handles are coming along, with Maxey looking more comfortable creating his own looks with each passing season. His development into an elite shooter helps; Maxey is comfortable bombing 3s out of pick-and-rolls and defenders often overcompensate for his jumper, which opens up angles to the rim.

Nick Nurse has spoken at length about getting the ball into Maxey's hands more next season. With Harden's trade request ongoing, the Sixers will soon have to invest in Maxey's point guard skills more than ever. He may never truly thrive as a primary, but not because he lacks burst, as Vecenie once suggested.