Baller#3
Years ago

Thon Maker to try and enter this year's draft.

Bleacher report just posted a video about it. It's not April 1 anymore...

Under NBA rules, players are only draft-eligible if they are at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school.

While off-court concerns will be the big topic for Maker, he also has to prove himself to NBA scouts after seeming to peak early on the showcase circuit.

Coming out of the Nike Hoop Summit, ESPN's Fran Fraschilla, citing a report from Paul Biancardi, noted NBA scouts were "not seeing it."

Full article

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Naph
Years ago

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Thon-Maker-Eschews-College-Basketball--Will-Attempt-to-Enter-NBA-Draft-5415

Has a little more info

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LC
Years ago

This:

Under NBA rules, players are only draft-eligible if they are at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school.

Maker turned 19 in February, Maker reportedly graduated from high school in Canada in June 2015 and is now in his 5th year.

Based on this, he may actually be eligible.

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Baller#3
Years ago

I don't get it then, why the hell is he in high school if he graduated a year ago... Honestly no idea how that's even allowed.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Dumb move

Reply #584152 | Report this post

Wilson Sting
Years ago

Great move if he gets drafted. Can just see someone like him getting injured during college so better to get a contract ASAP.

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Isaac
Years ago

Baller#3, I saw a comment on r/NBA about how athletes sometimes play on like this as a "victory lap".

5th year victory laps are very common in Ontario. Lots of kids improving grades or just not ready to move on from high school.

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Baller#3
Years ago

Seems dodgy as, of course he is going to dominate high schoolers when he is 19. Can see him dropping to the second round with this decision, but someone will take a punt on him.

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ChetThonFaker
Years ago

Could be a second round pick that gets seconded to an NBL team.

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NBL Fan
Years ago

Can't see this being a very good move for him unfortunately.

Reply #584165 | Report this post

HMMM
Years ago

Its called prep school alot of players do it when they can't get the grades to go to NCAA and they need a extra year to get grades up instead of losing a year of eligibility. Happens a ton on the east coast and many of your top flight athletes do it for an extra year to get bigger and stronger.

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Anonymous
Years ago

This might not be a great move, but I'm not sure he had a great move left because basically what's happened is that everyone has caught on to the fact that he's not that good. Draftexpress has his 2PFG% as 48% and his A/TO ratio as 1:3. If he's a 7-footer who struggles to finish but has great playmaking ability, the A/TO makes no sense; if he's an efficient scorer in his own right, 48% is a shocking conversion rate for a 19YO against high school competition.

Plenty of teams with full rosters blow second round draft picks on guys they have no intention of signing, so I don't think it's impossible he gets drafted. I don't see him playing in the NBA any time soon, though.*

* Philly doesn't count.

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Anonymous
Years ago

What national team does he represent these days?

Reply #584169 | Report this post

HMMM
Years ago

Anything is possible just needs to chew gum and be able to play to get drafted in the league. Is he really 19years old is another question. Not too worried about FG% due to the fact he shoots alot of jumpers.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Doing it to avoid being exposed

Reply #584173 | Report this post

Anonymous
Years ago

how old is he again? (real age i mean)

Reply #584175 | Report this post

joshuapending
Years ago

Hope the C's can maybe snag an all Australian draft. Ben at 1 or 2 then Maker with the dallas or their pick in the late first. He won't need to handle the ball as much in the NBA but i'm not sure how many here can really talk with any confidence about what his play is like at the moment. All i know is someone will take a shot at him thats for sure.

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Anonymous
Years ago

I would say definite 1st rounder, maybe not lottery now, but a team in the middle of the 1st will take a chance. Celtics would be a great fit, or maybe Minnesota, up and coming and hopefully Garnett is used to bring him along with Towns.
My question is why, is it because his stock has dropped so much in the past couple of years that they're worried he'll get shown up in college big time? I think a year at the right school won't really change where he'll get taken a year later, if anything it will show the scouts he's up to it and go into the lottery, somewhere like Indiana who I think he's considering, would be good, have a chance to shine at a big school and play in one of the power conferences.
A lots been made about his "advisors", hopefully they get it right. Good luck to him anyway.

Reply #584187 | Report this post

Ricey
Years ago

I can't imagine he will impress much against bigger bodies in the trials for teams. He has upside, but hasn't really appeared to improve since going to Canada. He will most likely be a late first round pick or a second round pick and stored away in Europe or Australia. If he isn't handling the ball then he has zero point of being on the court if not playing the post too.

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Anonymous
Years ago

(Mod: Deleted. Probably defamatory.)

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Isaac
Years ago

Woj:

Wherever Thon Maker gets drafted, expect him to spend most of next couple years in the D-League. NBA execs have mostly seen him regress.

Reply #584215 | Report this post

Hoops

Thon Maker to try and enter this year's draft.

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