Kentucky basketball fans are watching closely as five Wildcat players from the 2019-2020 team make their decisions on whether to stay in Lexington for one more year or head off to the NBA.

Today's Cats Illustrated staff roundtable...

Of the five UK players whose decisions we'll be waiting on how would you rank them in terms of their long-term NBA potential?

Travis Graf: Tyrese Maxey definitely has the highest long-term ceiling off of anyone on last season’s team as he’s the only one with all-star potential down the road. Maxey can be a Ben Gordon or Lou Williams play at the next level. Behind Maxey, I’m really high on Keion Brooks long-term. He’s very skilled but hasn’t scratched the surface of his potential. Brooks is still very raw in his development. Immanuel Quickley will likely be a rotational “3&D” player in the mold of Seth Curry or Landry Shamet at the NBA level. Nick Richards will be a back end rotation big man. If he can add a three-pointer to his arsenal, which I believe he can, his stock will soar as his career progresses. EJ Montgomery and Ashton Hagans are two-way guys or G-League/overseas guys.

Jeff Drummond: I think Nick Richards might have the best long-term prospects simply because he's an athletic 7-footer with good offensive skills. There aren't many of those guys walking the planet. If he works hard and keeps improving, I could see a long career for him along the lines of Nazr Mohammed. All of the other UK guys investigating their draft options have considerably more limitations. Ashton Hagans will need to improve drastically on the offensive side of the court; Immanuel Quickley will have to overcome his relative lack of size and show he can play the point; and Tyrese Maxey will really need to improve his 3-point shot. After Richards, I think Maxey has the best shot at a lengthy career.

David Sisk: 1). Tyrese Maxey - He will obviously be the first Wildcat to go in the 2020 NBA Draft, and will be the only one to go in the lottery. He has all of the attributes to be an outstanding pro. To say he is a high twitch athlete is an understatement. He has an explosive first step, lateral quickness, speed in the open court, as well as leaping ability. I love his floater, and he has strength to finish at the rim.

Since day one, I have thought his release point is too low. This makes him a streak shooter at best if that motion continues. I think he will get it higher. It is amazing how well professional players improve their shooting when they get unlimited time to work with coaches. I think he can be a three level scorer. Hopefully he has the size to play the two in the NBA, if not there is the question of how well he can play that position. He struggled some at the one last season. There is no doubt he could get to the hole at that spot, and he wouldn't have as much stress to make contested deep shots. I think he can be a tremendous pro, but he will have to make some adjustments.

2. Nick Richards - I know this is a curve ball, but i think he has modern day big man written all over him. He can switch onto guards, rim-run, and rebound. He also has improved his perimeter jumper. He has to get bigger and stronger. He also isn't an alpha male. I believe he has to be in the right situation with a good point guard and welcoming teammates. But I also see a little bit of Tyson Chandler and DeAndre Jordan. On the flip side, Chris Paul made each one of those players' careers. Chandler only weighed 235, so it is doable.

3. E.J. Montgomery - I could almost copy and paste what I said about Richards and put it here. Nick is taller and longer so he has those advantages. On the other hand, Montgomery has more of an NBA ready body. I believe Montgomery is a pleaser who gets in too big of a hurry and tries too hard at times. If he can get his offensive game to come together then I have no doubt. Here is what I like and I feel is reasonable. He has a motor and is willing to do the dirty work. He savored that role at Kentucky and there is always room for a player like that in the NBA. P.J. Tucker has a different frame, but he has been in the league a long time doing that.

4. Immanuel Quickley - I probably have him lower than anyone else. I think it comes down to whether he can play the point. One reason he has probably not gone higher up the boards is because he is a 6-foot-3 shooting guard. If he can make the transition to the point guard then he will have a spot in the league. But for now he is a tweener. There just aren't many 6-foot-3 shooting guards in the league.

5. Ashton Hagans - Hagans is actually the second highest rated draft pick according to the last mock draft by Jonathan Givony. Hagans can be an outstanding defender in the league. But there are the turnover issues and outside shooting woes. There is also a question about maturity. I think if he can get the last part together, he has some Patrick Beverly qualities. But unless there are big strides offensively, his niche is going to be that as a defensive stopper.

Justin Rowland: If I'm an NBA G.M. then I'm definitely picking Tyrese Maxey ahead of the others for a number of reasons. Consensus isn't always correct but he is pretty widely regarded as the guy who would first from this team and there's got to be good evidence to go against what so many reputable people seem to believe.

Immanuel Quickley almost gave me enough evidence to change that answer. He would be my choice for the second-best long-term NBA Draft prospect from this team. He was the SEC Player of the Year, he has a very high basketball IQ, and he was only a sophomore. The fact that we know that Quickley puts his offseason to good use with a huge jump from year one to year two is a good sign for his longer-term trajectory. I do think his lack of time on the ball will hurt him in the real draft but I'd feel comfortable using a late first round pick on him.

I'd rank the remaining players: Nick Richards, E.J. Montgomery, Ashton Hagans.