He's made only four of his last 26 shots from the field and has not reached double figures since the week of Thanksgiving.
One would never know it from the smile on Tyrese Maxey's face.
Kentucky's freshman shooting guard says he's learning there is a lot more to his game than just putting the ball in the basket, and he won't let the hot or cold streaks define him as a player.
He proved it Saturday against Georgia Tech, playing a career-high 38 minutes despite going 0-for-9 from the field and finishing with just six points.
What the scoring column didn't show, however, was a career-high seven rebounds, a career-high six assists, and two steals. Maxey served as the primary defender on the Yellow Jackets' Michael Devoe, who came to Lexington leading the ACC in scoring at 21.4 points per game and left Rupp Arena with just five points.
"I think I'm like 1-for-17 -- coach won't let me forget -- from the last two games," Maxey said with a smile Tuesday as No. 6 Kentucky (8-1) prepared to depart for a two-game swing through Las Vegas that will see the Wildcats face Utah and No. 5 Ohio State.
"But I'm still extremely happy that we won those games. I was out there playing defense. Scoring is not... we have a lot of guys on our team that are going to be able to score, so I don't need to score every single night. I just want to help my teammates win, whatever I need to do. Rebounds, assists, play defense. It was might night to stop the best player, and that's what I did."
Kentucky coach John Calipari said it's a sign of a player who "gets it."
"He was proud of himself (after the Georgia Tech game)," the UK boss said. "He came in (and said) 'I may not have played well, but I know I guarded that dude.' He was proud of himself. That's when you start seeing the change."
It's a change that Calipari has asked of the entire roster. In order to be the best version of themselves, the Cats must become an elite defensive team, he says.
"We have talented guys that are learning how to fight," he said. "That has nothing to do with offense. They’re learning how to fight, how to stay connected. I told them, ‘I don’t have a magic wand. I can’t do it for you. You’re going to have to do it.’"
Not too many people would have imagined Maxey scoring 15 points in his last three games after he opened the season with an eye-popping 26 points against No. 1 Michigan State in UK's season opener.
Make no mistake, though, he's still a scorer at heart. It's why he was considered the No. 10 prospect in the country and a McDonald's All-American coming out of Garland, Texas.
"I put in work every single day, so I know I’m never going to stop shooting because I feel like the next one’s going to go in," said Maxey, who said he's never gone through a 1-for-17 stretch in his young career.
He credits competing against teammate Ashton Hagans on a daily basis in practice for making him a better all-around player and embracing his potential on defense.
"We just go at each other, I guess you could say," Maxey said. "Coach puts us on different teams all the time, and it just makes us better. I feel like I do a good job of making him better, and he does a good job of making me better. Then we get on the court (together) and attack the other team's guards."
It's not optional when you're playing alongside Hagans, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
"You have to play good defense when you're out there on the court with him," Maxey said. "That's what he does, and I feel like he's helped us a lot. We pick our defense up as soon as we step on the court."
Calipari hopes the mindset will rub off on UK's other players.
"‘Why don’t you pick this game and be like Tyrese?'" he said of Wednesday night's matchup against Utah, a skilled 8-2 team that scored 143 points in its second game of the season against Mississippi Valley State . "Play unbelievable defense and go 0 for 9.’"
