2016 NBA Draft: Where should Thon Maker be selected?
Thon Maker didn’t play a second of college basketball, but could be a late first round pick in the upcoming 2016 NBA Draft.
Beyond the top-two selections, the 2016 NBA Draft is wide open…and I mean wide open.
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We know Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram will be picked numbers one and two overall (to the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers respectively), but beyond that there are no draft analysts that have any idea what is going to happen.
For example, Buddy Hield, Kris Dunn, Dragan Bender, Jaylen Brown, Jamal Murray and Marquese Chriss seem to be strong contenders for picks number three, four and five. But who is truly going where? Is Dunn the third best player in the draft because his two-way ability? What about Bender and his unknown game? Can Hield and Murray do more than just shoot the lights out?
And that’s just in the lottery.
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Beyond the top 14 picks, there are intriguing talents that could develop into solid role players or even starters on certain NBA teams.
One of those intriguing players that could go anywhere from 15-to-40, is Sudan native Thon Maker.
Maker, who played his high school basketball at the Carlisle School in Virginia and later the Athlete Institute Basketball Academy in Canada, was able to duck the NBA’s one-and-done draft rule. He played four years at the high school level before playing a fifth year in Orangeville.
Obviously this is a complex situation, but Maker apparently fulfilled his NBA Draft requirements.
The rule states that a player must be at least 19 years old and has to be one year removed from high school to enter the NBA Draft. Because Maker’s official graduation happened a year and a half ago, the NBA interpreted his fifth season at the Athlete Institute Basketball Academy as a “post-graduation” year.
Maker was highly recruited – a five-star prospect who had major interest from Indiana, St. John’s, Notre Dame, Arizona State and Kentucky – and has received unfair comparisons to Kevin Durant for years due to his early AAU basketball days.
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But one of the reasons he immediately opted for the NBA was because there was a chance of him becoming ineligible at the college level.
Maker’s guardian Ed Smith has been very controversial, as there are rumblings and rumors that improper benefits were a fixture during Maker’s high school career.
Instead of following the path that Emmanuel Mudiay and Brandon Jennings took (go overseas for a season), Maker believed he was ready to step into the NBA this year and take his game to the next level.
The 7’0″ 218 pound center is a terrific athlete with good length, a high motor and an outstanding character. He can impact both ends of the floor, with his solid shot blocking instincts and ability to score in the painted area on the offensive end.
Maker obviously needs to build his frame and toughness, but any seven footer that has good mobility and some guard-like skills would be an excellent prediction late in the first round (or even better, early second).
The Sudan native is only 19 years old and likely won’t find himself impacting games at the NBA level this upcoming season. He doesn’t have a great feel for the game yet and will have to be better on the boards.
But Maker has the upside and potential that current playoff contenders would love to stash in the D-League.
While Maker is never going to be Kevin Durant and may never have a consistent outside shot, it’s obviously that Maker’s skills, length and defensive prowess will be coveted in this draft.
And regardless of his lack of experience, NBA decision makers want to make a splash.
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This could sure be major get, as Maker may have been a lottery selection in 2017 if he played one season of college basketball.