Thon Maker

[Leprechaun18]

Its true that DX had Skal. going #1 early in the year, but I remember seeing some tape where Skal and Thon went 1 on 1 and Skal dominated.

[Envelope]

Its true that DX had Skal. going #1 early in the year, but I remember seeing some tape where Skal and Thon went 1 on 1 and Skal dominated.

More like a draw when Maker was expected to dominate. After a week of practices Thon still started over Skal, so this idea that Thon got dominated is just over-excited hipster b.s. from people who were too excited that Thon didn't look like Olajawon on both ends of the court. He only looked like Olajawon on defense.

And reading way way too much into these drills is what made people fk up and put Skal #1 in the first place.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_OlIxqaobM[/youtube]

[beans-boy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGiB7Hf63ok

Has anyone actually ever watched a full game of him? (Link above). He looks terrible aside from the one, awkward looking, crossover three...

Not fluid, weak, small hands, no post game, shoots less than 40% as a second year senior against high school kids.. calling it now: BUST. A team would have to be crazy to take him in the first round - I think draftexpress having him at #40 is about right.

[sikma42]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGiB7Hf63ok

Has anyone actually ever watched a full game of him? (Link above). He looks terrible aside from the one, awkward looking, crossover three...

Not fluid, weak, small hands, no post game, shoots less than 40% as a second year senior against high school kids.. calling it now: BUST. A team would have to be crazy to take him in the first round - I think draftexpress having him at #40 is about right.

Saw him in person and was shocked at how little impact he had on the court.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[Envelope]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGiB7Hf63ok

Has anyone actually ever watched a full game of him? (Link above). He looks terrible aside from the one, awkward looking, crossover three...

Not fluid, weak, small hands, no post game, shoots less than 40% as a second year senior against high school kids.. calling it now: BUST. A team would have to be crazy to take him in the first round - I think draftexpress having him at #40 is about right.

Saw him in person and was shocked at how little impact he had on the court.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

His impact is much better on the defensive side of the court. Porzingis level.

Also keep this in mind: we think of Porzingis as a sweet shooter, but his effective FG% was only 46.7% this year. 45% FG% from 2. Porzingis' 33% from NBA 3 is no doubt better than what Thon could shoot now, but Maker has potential there if he limits his shot selection. And just having a credible long 2/3 point shot at the PF or C position makes an unseen impact on games just by drawing rim protectors away from the basket.

[beans-boy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGiB7Hf63ok

Has anyone actually ever watched a full game of him? (Link above). He looks terrible aside from the one, awkward looking, crossover three...

Not fluid, weak, small hands, no post game, shoots less than 40% as a second year senior against high school kids.. calling it now: BUST. A team would have to be crazy to take him in the first round - I think draftexpress having him at #40 is about right.

Saw him in person and was shocked at how little impact he had on the court.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

His impact is much better on the defensive side of the court. Porzingis level.

Also keep this in mind: we think of Porzingis as a sweet shooter, but his effective FG% was only 46.7% this year. 45% FG% from 2. Porzingis' 33% from NBA 3 is no doubt better than what Thon could shoot now, but Maker has potential there if he limits his shot selection. And just having a credible long 2/3 point shot at the PF or C position makes an unseen impact on games just by drawing rim protectors away from the basket.

Thon shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence of Porzingis.. You either know nothing about basketball or are related to Thon or something! lol epic homer

[Envelope]

Saw him in person and was shocked at how little impact he had on the court.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

His impact is much better on the defensive side of the court. Porzingis level.

Also keep this in mind: we think of Porzingis as a sweet shooter, but his effective FG% was only 46.7% this year. 45% FG% from 2. Porzingis' 33% from NBA 3 is no doubt better than what Thon could shoot now, but Maker has potential there if he limits his shot selection. And just having a credible long 2/3 point shot at the PF or C position makes an unseen impact on games just by drawing rim protectors away from the basket.

Thon shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence of Porzingis.. You either know nothing about basketball or are related to Thon or something! lol epic homer

People laughed in the exact same way when I said that Porzingis would be a hall of famer last summer. They thought it was absurd.
And I'm not saying Maker will be a hall of famer, but his defense can be Porzingis level. Nobody thought Porzingis would come out of the gate as a great defender. "Too skinny", "maybe in 3 years", "You must be Porzingis' agent, don't make me laugh".

[beans-boy]

His impact is much better on the defensive side of the court. Porzingis level.

Also keep this in mind: we think of Porzingis as a sweet shooter, but his effective FG% was only 46.7% this year. 45% FG% from 2. Porzingis' 33% from NBA 3 is no doubt better than what Thon could shoot now, but Maker has potential there if he limits his shot selection. And just having a credible long 2/3 point shot at the PF or C position makes an unseen impact on games just by drawing rim protectors away from the basket.

Thon shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence of Porzingis.. You either know nothing about basketball or are related to Thon or something! lol epic homer

People laughed in the exact same way when I said that Porzingis would be a hall of famer last summer. They thought it was absurd.
And I'm not saying Maker will be a hall of famer, but his defense can be Porzingis level. Nobody thought Porzingis would come out of the gate as a great defender. "Too skinny", "maybe in 3 years", "You must be Porzingis' agent, don't make me laugh".

You joined RealGM a week ago so I doubt you were saying much last summer...

[Envelope]

Thon shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence of Porzingis.. You either know nothing about basketball or are related to Thon or something! lol epic homer

People laughed in the exact same way when I said that Porzingis would be a hall of famer last summer. They thought it was absurd.
And I'm not saying Maker will be a hall of famer, but his defense can be Porzingis level. Nobody thought Porzingis would come out of the gate as a great defender. "Too skinny", "maybe in 3 years", "You must be Porzingis' agent, don't make me laugh".

You joined RealGM a week ago so I doubt you were saying much last summer...

Brilliant logic.

[Ambrose]

Thon shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence of Porzingis.. You either know nothing about basketball or are related to Thon or something! lol epic homer

People laughed in the exact same way when I said that Porzingis would be a hall of famer last summer. They thought it was absurd.
And I'm not saying Maker will be a hall of famer, but his defense can be Porzingis level. Nobody thought Porzingis would come out of the gate as a great defender. "Too skinny", "maybe in 3 years", "You must be Porzingis' agent, don't make me laugh".

You joined RealGM a week ago so I doubt you were saying much last summer...

Not only that but he keeps acting like Thon is this defensive juggernaut who locks down anyone he faces and that's not that case at all. He doesn't dominate on either end of the floor and that is against high schoolers.

[Nuggninja]

His impact is much better on the defensive side of the court. Porzingis level.

Also keep this in mind: we think of Porzingis as a sweet shooter, but his effective FG% was only 46.7% this year. 45% FG% from 2. Porzingis' 33% from NBA 3 is no doubt better than what Thon could shoot now, but Maker has potential there if he limits his shot selection. And just having a credible long 2/3 point shot at the PF or C position makes an unseen impact on games just by drawing rim protectors away from the basket.

Thon shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence of Porzingis.. You either know nothing about basketball or are related to Thon or something! lol epic homer

People laughed in the exact same way when I said that Porzingis would be a hall of famer last summer. They thought it was absurd.
And I'm not saying Maker will be a hall of famer, but his defense can be Porzingis level. Nobody thought Porzingis would come out of the gate as a great defender. "Too skinny", "maybe in 3 years", "You must be Porzingis' agent, don't make me laugh".

He wasn't really a great defender. He had a hot start but he kind of fell off after that. And Nikola Jokic outplayed him when they went head to head.

[Envelope]

Thon shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence of Porzingis.. You either know nothing about basketball or are related to Thon or something! lol epic homer

People laughed in the exact same way when I said that Porzingis would be a hall of famer last summer. They thought it was absurd.
And I'm not saying Maker will be a hall of famer, but his defense can be Porzingis level. Nobody thought Porzingis would come out of the gate as a great defender. "Too skinny", "maybe in 3 years", "You must be Porzingis' agent, don't make me laugh".

He wasn't really a great defender. He had a hot start but he kind of fell off after that. And Nikola Jokic outplayed him when they went head to head.

One head to head matchup doesn't mean anything, and Jokic is an elite player by most all advanced stats.

Porzingis' opponent FG% were low from most/all areas, and he finished with a great defensive real plus minus, 10th among all PFs who played in 53 games or more.
http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/DRPM/position/6

Porzingis moves his feet really well, can switch onto most players, and is almost always contesting shots.

Maker has similar tools, and the same work ethic and toughness.

[Nuggninja]

People laughed in the exact same way when I said that Porzingis would be a hall of famer last summer. They thought it was absurd.
And I'm not saying Maker will be a hall of famer, but his defense can be Porzingis level. Nobody thought Porzingis would come out of the gate as a great defender. "Too skinny", "maybe in 3 years", "You must be Porzingis' agent, don't make me laugh".

He wasn't really a great defender. He had a hot start but he kind of fell off after that. And Nikola Jokic outplayed him when they went head to head.

One head to head matchup doesn't mean anything, and Jokic is an elite player by most all advanced stats.

Porzingis' opponent FG% were low from most/all areas, and he finished with a great defensive real plus minus, 10th among all PFs who played in 53 games or more.
http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/DRPM/position/6

Porzingis moves his feet really well, can switch onto most players, and is almost always contesting shots.

Maker has similar tools, and the same work ethic and toughness.

Jokic is elite. But Kristap's inability to guard him demonstrated to me that he's not an elite defender yet and that you're induction of him into the basketball hall of fame was premature.

A big distinguishing factor between them is that Kristap's had actually performed at a professional level while Maker has been in high school. I've also read that physically he has some red flags such as having a small hands and that his body type isn't conducive to adding a lot of strength to it both of which could cause issues which limit his ability to be successful in the NBA.

[Catchall]

I think Maker compares well to DeAndre Jordan, Derrick Favors, Hassan Whiteside and other athletic bigs who were mostly defensive players when they came into the league. I think Maker will add strength and some weight and play the 5. Maker doesn't have the tight handle, quick reactions, hesitations and offensive nuances that KG had, but that doesn't mean he's a bad prospect. He can still be an effective pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop big and make an impact on the defensive end.

[Rastas]

Thon is all about potential .
Remember he only first touched a basketball 5 years ago .
Given the number of outstanding highlights he has already produced , he is well worth a lottery pick.
With good coaching and pro weight training this kid has a scary potential .
My personal estimate in the draft for him is anywhere from 3 to 14 .

[No-Man]

I think Maker compares well to DeAndre Jordan, Derrick Favors, Hassan Whiteside and other athletic bigs who were mostly defensive players when they came into the league. I think Maker will add strength and some weight and play the 5. Maker doesn't have the tight handle, quick reactions, hesitations and offensive nuances that KG had, but that doesn't mean he's a bad prospect. He can still be an effective pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop big and make an impact on the defensive end.

How is he similar at all to those guys physically? not even close to the same type of athlete nor as strong

[Envelope]

Thon is all about potential .
Remember he only first touched a basketball 5 years ago .
Given the number of outstanding highlights he has already produced , he is well worth a lottery pick.
With good coaching and pro weight training this kid has a scary potential .
My personal estimate in the draft for him is anywhere from 3 to 14 .

Exactly, it's not rocket science. People picking him apart and just reaching for reasons why he might not be a great NBA player. He hasn't been playing that much longer than Embiid. But nobody was picking Embiid's game apart based on one exhibition game when he was 18.

If Maker went to college this last year, especially on the east coast, the entire conversation about Maker would be much different right now.

[Envelope]

I think Maker compares well to DeAndre Jordan, Derrick Favors, Hassan Whiteside and other athletic bigs who were mostly defensive players when they came into the league. I think Maker will add strength and some weight and play the 5. Maker doesn't have the tight handle, quick reactions, hesitations and offensive nuances that KG had, but that doesn't mean he's a bad prospect. He can still be an effective pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop big and make an impact on the defensive end.

How is he similar at all to those guys physically? not even close to the same type of athlete nor as strong

I'd compare him more to Rudy Gobert, Anthony Davis (defensively), Chris Bosh (defensively), old KG, Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby, and Kristaps. Guys who weren't/aren't true/elite centers until later in their career, but who were great defensive PFs while on the slim/skinny side.


People have a hard time thinking two years ahead, or even 3 months ahead. Last year at this time Porzingis weighed 220-225, and was assumed to be years away from being NBA ready. Then he showed up at training camp at 244 lbs, looking dramatically different from his May workout in Vegas just 4-5 months earlier.

Maker already weighs 225. That's more than Anthony Davis and Garnett weighed at their Combines, and it's 19 lbs more than Noel did.
By the time the season starts Maker will weigh 230-235, if not 240.

In three years he'll be 245-255 lbs. Maybe closer to 245, since he doesn't have broad shoulders, but his arms are already bigger than Porzingis', and his bone structure isn't quite as frail. Porzingis is 2" taller, so he'll probably peak at a higher weight than Maker, but he'll need it because you lose leverage with more height.


One last thing about Maker's narrow shoulders. While it's true it will limit just how much he fills out, narrow shoulders also have a major advantage. Narrow shoulders are a key reason that Maker's standing reach is so high, 9'5.5".

Anthony Davis' standing reach is 9'0", or 5'5" lower than Maker's. Davis is 2-3 inches shorter than Maker, and the rest of the difference in standing reach is that Davis has wide shoulders. Even though Davis has a longer wingspan than Maker, more of that wingspan is made up of shoulders, which doesn't help in standing reach.

[Envelope]

He wasn't really a great defender. He had a hot start but he kind of fell off after that. And Nikola Jokic outplayed him when they went head to head.

One head to head matchup doesn't mean anything, and Jokic is an elite player by most all advanced stats.

Porzingis' opponent FG% were low from most/all areas, and he finished with a great defensive real plus minus, 10th among all PFs who played in 53 games or more.
http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/DRPM/position/6

Porzingis moves his feet really well, can switch onto most players, and is almost always contesting shots.

Maker has similar tools, and the same work ethic and toughness.

Jokic is elite. But Kristap's inability to guard him demonstrated to me that he's not an elite defender yet and that you're induction of him into the basketball hall of fame was premature.

A big distinguishing factor between them is that Kristap's had actually performed at a professional level while Maker has been in high school. I've also read that physically he has some red flags such as having a small hands and that his body type isn't conducive to adding a lot of strength to it both of which could cause issues which limit his ability to be successful in the NBA.

Porzingis has been playing basketball his whole life. There's a huge difference between that and a guy who didn't touch a basketball until he was 13. I think Embiid was 14 or 15 when he started playing basketball. And nobody picked him apart because he wasn't a pro at age 16 like Porzingis.

I view Maker as a similar level talent to Embiid, but Maker is more of a PF PF/C and Embiid at this point is a pure center.

Nobody declared that Embiid had low potential because he only averaged 11 points at Kansas. Because they knew he was relatively knew to the game and would only get better.

In retrospect Maker should have gone to college this last year, where he would have put up at least Embiid level stats or probably better. Without that year of exposure, Embiid never would have been a top 3 pick. And people would point out that he only played against high school kids, as if that meant something about his potential.

[Envelope]

Maker's workouts are going to blow Embiid's away. It's just that Embiid has that true center strength.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp7PX7hYUFQ[/youtube]