Indiana Pacers Draft Rumors: Team Looking at Thon Maker
By Kyle Nishida
The Indiana Pacers held their fourth pre-draft workout Wednesday, and the most unique prospect of the 2016 NBA Draft Thon Maker was a participant.
Last year, Maker did not play college basketball, nor did he play professionally in another country. Actually, Maker played basketball at the Athletic Institute Basketball Academy in Ontario, Canada last year.
The academy is connected with Orangeville Prep, an Ontario high school. Maker graduated from the Athletic Institute/Orangeville Prep in July of 2015, but continued to play for the academy the following season after his graduation.
In April, Maker applied for entrance into the 2016 NBA Draft. The only question was would the league accept him?
The NBA rule states that players must be at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school to enter the draft. Despite still playing the 2015-16 season at Athletic Institute, the NBA felt Maker fulfilled his one year out of high school requirement and allowed him to enter the draft.
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The 7-1 Sudanese prospect has a lot of talent and potential. He is athletic and can shoot the ball from the perimeter. His playing style suggests he will be a stretch power forward in the NBA.
Maker’s flaws are he needs to get stronger and thicker. He only weighs 220 pounds, which means he would easily be pushed around by physical opponents on both sides of the ball.
Overall, there is no consensus on Maker’s draft value among scouts and analysts. Some think he could be a late first round pick while others feel he is a second round pick at best. The Indiana Pacers have the 20th and 50th picks overall to possibly use on him.
Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Sharp is one of the people who thinks Maker will be drafted in the first round. In a recent mock draft, he had the Phoenix Suns drafting Maker 28th overall and wrote this.
"“Maker doesn’t have first round talent, but the idea of him—crazy combination of size and skill, internet urban legend, high schooler who found a loophole into the draft—may be enough to sell some team on investing four years to see what he could become…”"
Meanwhile, CSNNE’s A. Sherrod Blakely found someone with a harsher take on Maker’s draft value. Blakely received this quote from an unnamed Eastern Conference scout.
"“There is no way this kid should be in this year’s draft. He’s nowhere close to being ready to play or make any kind of impact that will help a team anytime soon. He’s one of those two years away from being two years away kind of players. If you take him near the end of the second round, he’s worth it. But a first-rounder? I just don’t see it.”"
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Maker is certainly a polarizing prospect, and his value is purely based off of potential. Also, most people think he is not ready to play immediately. This is a pretty big issue for the Pacers because they need players who are ready to play now.
If the Indiana Pacers draft Maker, his first season will probably be spent in the NBA Developmental League. This is not a beneficial scenario for the Pacers. With Paul George entering his athletic prime, the Pacers need to focus on winning championships now.
It is good the Indiana Pacers took a close look at Maker, but they do not have the luxury of taking him 20th overall. If he falls to them in the second round, then that’s a different story. However, it is hard to see Maker falling to them at No. 50 overall because of his potential. Their best chance at drafting him is with the 20th pick.
Next: Pacers Draft Rumors: Team Eyeing Stephen Zimmerman
A potential relationship between the Indiana Pacers and Thon Maker does not make sense. The Pacers are currently pushing for NBA and conference titles, while Maker is best suited for a rebuilding team. Maker could be a solid NBA player in the future, but the Pacers need to focus on prospects who can help them immediately.