The Intrigue of Prospect Thon Maker

With the NBA Draft quickly approaching, 7-foot-1 inch prospect Thon Maker has been making a lot of noise first with his mixtape videos and now his intriguing jump from post-graduation high school basketball to the NBA Draft.

Thon Maker is probably the biggest question mark in the 2016 NBA Draft. Scouts have listed him as anything between a mid-second round pick to a late-lottery selection. Some have said his game will not translate to the bigger and tougher NBA game while others have said his style of play could change the way big men are evaluated going forward.

He obviously has tremendous size at 7-foot-1 and combines that with above average quickness for a guy his size, a decent jump shot, and a deceptively sharp handle. Just watch this clip:

That guy he crossed?

Only incoming freshman Edrice “Bam” Adebayo the #5 overall recruit according to ESPN. He will be attending Kentucky, where he will follow in the footsteps of NBA studs Nerlens Noel and Anthony Davis under coach John Calipari.

Maker nearly finished the game with a double-double in under 30 minutes on the floor.

Here’s one of his top mixtapes:

The biggest issue scouts have with Maker is the sample size they have of his game. After graduating from his high school in Toronto, he and his family found a loop hole in the NBA’s one-and-done rule that has never been utilized to this point. The rule states that before declaring for the NBA Draft, high-schoolers have to be one year removed from graduation.

Maker found a way to continue playing at the high school level and instead of reclassifying to this year’s NCAA class or playing overseas, he has been approved by the NBA to enter the 2016 NBA Draft.

Many speculated that he would be a top-3 selection in the 2017 NBA Draft after a year in college, but now without those 30+ games and no professional experience overseas to dissect and analyze, NBA front offices will have to decide on how big of a risk they are willing to take.

With such a large upside, he belongs in the lottery. While I understand the speculation around his competition level in Canada, the concern of development issues, and his small hands which have made him look awkward and lose the ball more than once, I can’t name five players with more value than him in this year’s rookie class.

Maker agrees with me (as he should):

After Simmons and Ingram at the top, Maker should at least be in the conversation. Maker’s game is very similar to that of Croatian 7-footer Dragan Bender who is eligible for the 2016 NBA Draft plus more athleticism and a little bit better of an NBA body and Bender is projected to be a top-5 selection.

Next: Thon Maker Worth the Risk for Boston?

I know his jump shot and handle are still developing, but game after game I see the confidence to take and make the shot. With the guidance of the best coaches in the world that are in the NBA at his disposal, we may have a prospect with the highest ceiling we’ve seen in a very long time.

He looks pretty good in green…