TyTy Washington has draft profile eerily similar to Tyrese Maxey

NBA draft experts and lowly bloggers alike thrive on drawing parallels between first-round prospects and someone else in the league. Whether it be because of their playing style, physique, or favorite color, no draftee can escape these often unfair comparisons. Having said all that, TyTy Washington and former Kentucky star, Tyrese Maxey, are essentially basketball twins.

Comparing Kentucky’s NBA draft prospects to former Wildcats who made the league is nothing new. Last year, Isaiah Jackson reminded scouts of Nerlens Noel, and the year prior, experts touted PJ Washington to be the next Patrick Patterson. To go back further, the speed of De’Aaron Fox reminded people of John Wall and Jamal Murray’s shooting was as smooth as Devin Booker’s.

This year, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor likens TyTy Washington to Immanuel Quickley, and while that makes a lot of sense, for me, Tyrese Maxey stands out as a better comparator for TyTy.

Please pause for an obligatory moment of silence as we think about what kind of NCAA tournament run Kentucky would have had with Maxey and Quickley in 2020 had it not been canceled.

Measurables

First and foremost atop the list of every scout is the fact that Washington and Maxey both wore #3 in their one season with the Kentucky Wildcats. And if that isn’t enough to convince you of their similarities, TyTy’s dad and Tyrese’s dad are both named Tyrone. I dare you to find any other NBA draftee comparison that can match that.

Seriously though, on paper, these two players are eerily identical. For starters, Maxey and Washington are listed as the exact same size, both at 6’3″ and 196 pounds. They each have a standing reach of 8’3.5″ with Washington just edging out Maxey in wingspan at 6’8″ compared to 6’7.75″.

Due to the pandemic, Maxey and many other top prospects opted out of the NBA combine in 2020, so we don’t have his numbers for the vertical leap, shuttle run, and other athletic measurements. However, TyTy Washington also opted out of the agility portion of both the combine and UK’s pro day, so in this category, their numbers technically align.

For what it’s worth, Maxey claimed he added three to four inches to his vertical jump after his first year in the NBA, but I guess we’ll just have to take him on his word on that one.

Scoring

During his sole year at Kentucky, TyTy Washington averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game compared to Tyrese Maxey’s 14 points, 3.2 assists, and 4.3 rebounds. While these stats are already strikingly close, it’s worth noting Washington averaged 14.7 points per game before his first injury. Additionally, when adjusted to a per-40 minute average, Washington slightly eclipsed Tyrese in points at 17.1 compared to Maxey’s 16.2.

When it comes to shooting percentage, Washington and Maxey shot 49.6% and 49.2% from 2-point range respectively. From behind the arc, Washington bested Maxey at 35% compared to 29.6% but both were relatively equal in catch-and-shoot situations with Washington averaging 1.05 points and Maxey averaging 0.75 points in these half-court opportunities.

Both players did most of their damage when they were being aggressive and attacking the lane. Washington landed in the 93rd percentile of all college players when it came to scoring on floaters and similarly, Maxey was in the 94th percentile amongst his peers in pick-and-roll situations where he also excelled at floaters and mid-range jumpers. It all washed out to nearly identical true shooting percentages, with Maxey finishing at 53.1% and Washington at 52.8%.

But did they help their team win? Well, yes. Almost equally, actually. Maxey had an offensive win share rating of 2.2 and Washington had a rating of 2.4.

Defense

The area where similarities slightly diverge is on the defensive side of the ball. While their equally long wing spans help them defend bigger guards, Washington is a bit more aggressive in his approach. His more active hands and risk-taking led to 1.3 steals per game, a smidge better than Maxey’s very commendable (and not too far off) 0.9 steals per game.

However, just because Maxey did not force a ton of turnovers doesn’t mean he wasn’t aggressive. His tenacious ability to stay in front of his man led to him only allowing 0.26 points per possession in one-on-one situations, which ranked 97th percentile his freshman season.

In the end, however, even with these somewhat different approaches to defense, Maxey and Washington had very similar defensive ratings their freshman year at Kentucky with Washington finishing at 96.2 and Maxey at 98.3.

Big Game Potential

Both TyTy Washington and Tyrese Maxey play combo guard, but are comfortable either on-the-ball or off-the-ball and can be productive at either the point guard or shooting guard position. And as alluded to earlier, both thrive in the mid-range.

And while some hybrid guards can get lost on the floor due to not having a true position, these two were a constant threat to have a big game. Maxey busted onto the scene in a big way against Michigan State, scoring 26 points in his Kentucky debut including some late-game heroics. He had a knack for prime-time games, as his other great scoring performance came against Louisville when he put up 27.

Comparably, TyTy Washington’s season-high was 28 points, but, of course, his biggest game of the year was when he stepped into the point guard role against Georgia and casually broke John Wall’s single-game assist record with 17.

I am convinced that if it weren’t for Washington’s two injuries, he would have put up a few more monster games in March. He just wasn’t the same when he eventually got back on the floor.

Fortunately, scouts know this and for those teams that draft on potential, Washington (just like Maxey during his time in Lexington), showed he has plenty of it.

Draft Status

The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Tyrese Maxey with the 21st overall pick in the 2020 draft. Currently, TyTy Washington lands as high as 8th overall to the low 20s depending on mock draft boards which is almost identical to where Maxey’s range in mocks that year, meaning he slipped a bit on draft day.

The allure of drafting a John Calipari point guard has waned over the last decade, with guys’ draft status taking a hit due to Cal’s aging offensive system. But with players like Quickley and Maxey working to change that narrative, it will be interesting to see if a team plucks Washington before he can suffer a similar drop on draft day. Washington has been working out for multiple NBA teams in preparation and very well could find himself in the lottery.

After a solid but inconsistent rookie campaign, Tyrese Maxey had a breakout year for the Philadelphia 76ers this past season. Depending on which team he lands on, it isn’t crazy to think TyTy Washington, who is equally as basketball savvy, could share a similar NBA career trajectory.