NCAA Basketball: Analyzing Makur Maker 5 potential college options
UCLA Bruins
It was a rough start to the Mick Cronin era, with the Bruins players struggling to operate in his defensive-minded system. But a strong run in Pac-12 play made this program look much more viable and could be a threat to win the league, with most of their rotation players coming back. The only one currently in question is leading scoring wing Chris Smith, who is in the NBA Draft process.
Along with Kentucky, UCLA is a “favorite” for Maker if he comes to college. Depending on what happens with Sarr, the Bruins could provide the prospect with the best situation. This team has depth in the frontcourt with Jalen Hill and Cody Riley but neither of them has the offensive potential of a Maker. He adds another dimension to UCLA and can make everyone better.
Maker also would benefit greatly from a year of Cronin, who demands a high level of energy and effort on the defensive end. That has been said to be the greatest level of weakness for the big man at the moment and next to Bob Huggins of West Virginia, no one in college has a better reputation of that kind of defensive intensity than the former Bearcat leader.
It would be weird if UCLA essentially swaps Maker with Dashien Nix, a former five-star guard commit who recently left the team for the G League. The guard clearly thinks he’s ready, while the all of a sudden reluctance could be the sign needed for Maker to actually spend a year in college.
Next. Early SEC power rankings for 2020-21. dark
It would be an incredible 180 if Makur Maker, who spent his entire time preparing for the pros, all of a sudden plays in college instead. But if that does happen, one of these five programs could be getting an impactful big man that will have an impact on the 2020-21 season. The current deadline to withdraw from the draft is less than a month from now unless it gets extended. This means we may have an answer sooner than later on the five-star prospect.