Getty UNC Tar Heels forward Luke Maye
North Carolina Tar Heels forward Luke Maye has continued his impressive collegiate career during the 2018-19 season. Even with the Tar Heels boasting a ton of talent across the roster, the senior has racked up averages of 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this year. In turn, it’s led to his 2019 NBA Draft stock becoming a talking point, but there are still plenty of question marks surrounding it.
While Maye averaged 16.9 points with 10.1 rebounds last year and shot 48.6 percent from the field, there are some concerns over his size (6-foot-8) and where he’ll play at the next level. Heading into the final stretch of the college basketball season, Maye has played a big role in UNC’s 21-5 record and their No. 8 ranking.
We’re going to take a look at the latest on the Tar Heels forward’s current draft stock, projections and where updated mocks have him coming off the board.
Luke Maye NBA Draft Projections & Mock Draft
Interestingly, although Maye has put together a solid season thus far, most seem to believe that he’ll go undrafted. A portion of this likely has to do with the young talent spread across college hoops, specifically with players who have decent upside and untapped potential. Obviously, a lot can change in the span of a few months, and Maye will be a name to watch.
DraftSite.com had Maye projected anywhere between the middle of the first round to the middle of the second for last year’s draft, but he opted to return to school. As far as this year’s draft goes, the site did have Maye pegged as a late second-round selection in a few previous mock drafts at the end of the 2018 calendar year.
Going one step further, NBA Draft Room’s mock draft had Maye just outside of the second round as one of the first prospects in the “on the bubble” section. This gives a decent insight into the potential the forward could have in terms of his chances to jump into the second round with a strong finish to the year and a solid showing at the combine.
Strengths & Weaknesses of Luke Maye
Maye is a solid passer for a big man and can step out and knock down shots at a strong rate as well. The biggest issue for the UNC senior will likely be his size and how it translates to the NBA. It’s likely that he’s not athletic enough to be small forward at the next level and his lack of athleticism could hurt his chances at playing power forward.
Although Maye isn’t a bad defender, he won’t block many shots against NBA-caliber players and would struggle to defend both positions if drafted. He did average 1.0 block per game during his junior season, but fouls could also become an issue. Realistically, there’s a good chance that he’ll receive an opportunity as an undrafted free agent and could wind up in the G-League.
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