Backcourt Preview Part 2: Deivon Smith, Deebo Coleman, Miles Kelly, & Tristan Maxwell

Yesterday we broke down the three proven guys in this Georgia Tech backcourt. Today, we will look at four talented players who could be sneaky contributors this year or major contributors in the years to come.

Deivon Smith

6’1”, 172 lbs, Sophomore, Guard

Deivon Smith joins the Yellow Jackets after playing his freshman year in Starkville at Mississippi State. A talented four star recruit out of the metro Atlanta area, Smith was heavily recruited by Tech while in high school, but ultimately chose to leave the state. When the opportunity came up to recruit him a second time around, the Georgia Tech coaches did not miss this time, securing his commitment to join the Yellow Jackets.

He had an up and down freshman season, averaging just over 5 points per game, but flashing spots of brilliance which highlighted the talent that made him a heavily targeted recruit. His best game of the season came in arguably the most important game of the season for Mississippi State, the NIT championship against Memphis. In that game, Smith scored a season high 17 points and added three assists and three rebounds.

Smith is an explosive athlete who can get by his defender and finish at the rim. He is also an excellent floor general and distributes the ball well. As a freshman last season, he led the team in assist rate (assists divided by the field goals made by teammates while on the court) at 24.1%. Smith is also not afraid to shoot the ball, ranking third on the team in 3 point attempts last season.

Deebo Coleman

6’6”, 215 lbs, Freshman, Guard

Freshman guard Deebo Coleman comes to Atlanta as the second highest ranked recruit of the Josh Pastner era, trailing only Michael Devoe. Coleman culminated an illustrious high school career by being named Florida’s Mr. Basketball last season. He earned the award by averaging 24.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.

Always an elite scorer since his freshman year, Coleman greatly improved on his rebounding and passing throughout his entire high school career. At 6’6” and 215 pounds, it’s not a surprise he was able to put up the rebounding numbers that he did his senior year. What will get Tech fans most excited about Coleman is his lights out shooting from behind the arc. He shot 46% from the 3-point line last season.

Deebo was recruited by the Yellow Jackets since 7th grade and picked Georgia Tech over Texas Tech and Ole Miss.

Miles Kelly

6’5”, 171 lbs, Freshman, Guard

Freshman Miles Kelly initially did not gain much recognition from the recruiting services, but soared up the rankings after a prep year at Parkview High School. He ended up finishing as a consensus four star and ranked inside the top 100 by most recruiting services. In his year at Parkview, Kelly averaged 19.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game.

A strong shooter just like Coleman, Kelly shot above 40% from behind the arc in his high school and prep career. Standing at 6’5”, he also has great length. Known for his hard work, he is a player who may improve each and every season on the flats.

Kelly picked the Yellow Jackets over NC State, Miami, Texas A&M, and Wake Forest.

Tristan Maxwell

6’2”, 209 lbs, Sophomore, Guard

Tristan Maxwell enters the 2021 season as a second year Yellow Jacket. Maxwell entered last year with high hopes as a possibly sneaky contributor freshman, but struggled with injuries. He missed most of the preseason with a broken bone in his foot and had a setback later on in the season, which ultimately led to him seeing action in just one game.

Maxwell came out of high school as just a low ranked three star, but was his high school’s all-time leading scorer (2,253 points) and was named North Carolina Mr. Basketball 2020. Maxwell continues the trend of the coaching staff bringing in high level shooters as he is lethal from behind the three-point line.

The Yellow Jackets are hoping Tristan can stay healthier this year and be a go to scoring option off the bench.

Tristan is the son of Vernon Maxwell, longtime NBA veteran and NBA champion.