Getty Former UNC forward Luke Maye
Luke Maye has been an integral part of North Carolina’s success over his college basketball career, but the question remains whether this will be enough to garner attention when the NBA draft rolls around.
Maye entered the 2018 NBA draft without an agent, but the UNC big man decided to come back to school for his senior season. This allowed him to participate in the NBA draft combine and get feedback from teams. Maye detailed his decision to play another season of college basketball in an Instagram post on May 24, 2018.
I have had a great experience learning from the NBA process and growing as a basketball player during the past couple weeks. I would like to thank my family, friends, coaches and teammates for all of their support. Through this process, I have decided that I am going to comeback to school to improve as a player and finish my college career. I am looking forward to the opportunities and challenges that I will face and there is no better group to do it with than my teammates and the Carolina family! Time to finish the right way with two of the best players and leaders that I know! Let’s finish our legacy the right way!#RoadtoMinneapolis
Upperclassmen like Maye are often undervalued in the NBA draft process as teams look for younger players with more upside. What does Maye’s NBA future look like? We breakdown Maye’s pro potential in his NBA draft player profile.
Luke Maye NBA Draft Profile
STRENGTHS: Maye is a double-double machine who can also step outside and knock down jumpers. It is hard to argue with Maye’s production while at Chapel Hill. Maye is averaging 14.9 points and 10.3 rebounds this season which marks the second straight year he is averaging a double-double.
Maye is a prototypical stretch-four in the NBA. Where the North Carolina big man can excel at the next level is in the pick and roll.
WEAKNESSES: Maye is known for his shooting, but his three-point percentage has dropped drastically since last season. After shooting 43.1 percent from three last season, Maye is shooting 30.2 percent from behind the arc this season. It is a puzzling drop given the big man is shooting just about the same number of threes per game.
Maye is not going to wow teams with his athleticism which could make him a liability on the defensive end. ESPN currently has Maye ranked outside their top 100 prospects so the big man has some work to do in March to allow him to get drafted.
SUMMARY: Maye is going to get a chance to prove he belongs on an NBA roster, but at this point is looks like he may have to do it as an undrafted free agent. If Maye does not get drafted, he will get plenty of invites to play on NBA Summer League teams. Maye needs to show off his shooting touch once again in the NCAA tournament.