Thon Maker

[Worm122]

Maybe he can play at a power forward

[stitches]

Maybe he can play at a power forward

I think he's a 5 in the long run.

[Kilo]

I think his draft ceiling is to Boston at 16 overall.

[doordoor123]

Maybe he can play at a power forward

I think he's a 5 in the long run.

He's a 4. Scouts have said that he won't ever be strong enough to be a 5, but can guard back up 5s because of his athleticism. They also said he'll never really develop much of a post game because of his strength. Will be a face up players that can guard 4s.

[darbstar]

There is no way Thon Maker lasts until the 20th pick?
Once all the workouts are complete this guy will rise up the boards and will be taken in the top 12 spots
His play, build, athleticsm, work ethic and competitive drive are so similar to Kevin Garnett at the same age

[EMG518]

Maybe he can play at a power forward

I think he's a 5 in the long run.

He's a 4. Scouts have said that he won't ever be strong enough to be a 5, but can guard back up 5s because of his athleticism. They also said he'll never really develop much of a post game because of his strength. Will be a face up players that can guard 4s.

Scouts are wrong plenty. Draymond Green plays center all the time for a championship level team.

[RollingWave]

There is no way Thon Maker lasts until the 20th pick?
Once all the workouts are complete this guy will rise up the boards and will be taken in the top 12 spots
His play, build, athleticsm, work ethic and competitive drive are so similar to Kevin Garnett at the same age

That's a pretttttttty far leap of faith.

Other than the part where he's a tall black guy playing more of a wing's game there's no real other parallel , KG had clear legitimate feel for the game, Thon seem to be below average for a first round prospect . (and he's playing against the worst competition of anyone in the draft. that his feel doesn't even look great against highschooler is at least a bit concerning. )

Having said that, I do think he will leap in the draft as well, none of the guys past even 10 blows people away really, and in a sea of uncertainty going with the tall athletic guy is always a justifiable pick.

[Skin]

Magic at 11. Don't be surprised.

[EMG518]

Magic at 11. Don't be surprised.

I wouldn't be. This particular draft is such a crap shoot as far as where players will go.

[Catchall]

I think Maker is getting looks as high as about 10 - 12 in this draft, right about where people are considering Skal Labissiere. He'll probably go mid first-round.

Maker needs to gain strength, but his motor and work ethic are good even if his quickness is so-so. His offensive game is raw and who knows how far it can develop, but there's not a lot of downside here. Remember how undeveloped Derrick Favors was when he entered the league. Same with Hassan Whiteside. People should stop comparing Maker to KG and Anthony Davis and compare him to these guys instead. Then they'll pick him in the 12 - 15 range.

[beans-boy]

This guy is rocketing up the draft boards.. Draftexpress has him at 32 in their latest mock!!

[Mr Swagtastic]

Thon Maker is ultimate swing for the fences type of draft pick. He has size and potential but that is all he is right now to me, if any team is taking him in the lotto I am sure they are going to regret it. I think he is at least 2 years away from being a NBA player.

I could see a team taking a risk on him later on in the draft like Toronto (Masai loves his projects), San Antonio, Golden State, Phoenix and The Clippers

[RollingWave]

Thon Maker is ultimate swing for the fences type of draft pick. He has size and potential but that is all he is right now to me, if any team is taking him in the lotto I am sure they are going to regret it. I think he is at least 2 years away from being a NBA player.

I could see a team taking a risk on him later on in the draft like Toronto (Masai loves his projects), San Antonio, Golden State, Phoenix and The Clippers

My thing is that project players almost always ends up being pretty playable almost right away or never playable, the list of guys that really can't play at all for 2 year and then turning out to be an above average player is pretttttttty short. (especially if it doesn't involve them being injured for one of those years.)

Granted, of the guys that might fit that bill, highschool players are probably the most likely . because the last guys I can think of that almost never played for 2 year or more and then was pretty good later on is Amir Johnson.

[Skin]

This guy is rocketing up the draft boards.. Draftexpress has him at 32 in their latest mock!!

Spurs will take him, give him the time he needs to develop and then people will be like, "Spurs are so amaze balls".

[TKainZero]

This guy is rocketing up the draft boards.. Draftexpress has him at 32 in their latest mock!!

I will be the happiest man alive if the lakers grab him at 32.

I think that late lotto is where he will go.

But, I thought that with looney last year and kyle Anderson the year before.

[Mustinjo]

It's incredible how hyped some people are about a guy who never played in a meaningful game in his life.

[Duke4life831]

Im shocked people are still talking about him. I think its safe to say that 90% of people on here havent watched him play and the only thing they have seen from him are youtube highlights. Ive seen him plenty and there is a reason why the people who have seen him plenty dont really talk about him much. Hes a great open gym player. But whenever you watch him play he disappears most of the time and this is against high school opponents. Its usually hard to tell just how good a big man is in high school cause they usually dominate all the time cause they are so physically superior compared to the average high school big. But with Thon he doesnt even dominate those games most of the time. And if he is in a big game against another big time high school big its almost a guarantee that he will get abused. I cant believe this is now at page 16. This is a guy that good teams take at the end of the 1st round or in the 2nd cause they can just sit them on the bench for a few years to see if he ever becomes a player, most of the time they dont and you never hear from them again

[Bum Adebayo]

Most people only watched him in highlights, and they see him handling the ball and shooting, so they think "a 7 footer can do all that? potential is through the roof!". I swear I've seen people wanting to take him with 3rd or 4th pick lol.

[doordoor123]

Im shocked people are still talking about him. I think its safe to say that 90% of people on here havent watched him play and the only thing they have seen from him are youtube highlights. Ive seen him plenty and there is a reason why the people who have seen him plenty dont really talk about him much. Hes a great open gym player. But whenever you watch him play he disappears most of the time and this is against high school opponents. Its usually hard to tell just how good a big man is in high school cause they usually dominate all the time cause they are so physically superior compared to the average high school big. But with Thon he doesnt even dominate those games most of the time. And if he is in a big game against another big time high school big its almost a guarantee that he will get abused. I cant believe this is now at page 16. This is a guy that good teams take at the end of the 1st round or in the 2nd cause they can just sit them on the bench for a few years to see if he ever becomes a player, most of the time they dont and you never hear from them again

A guy with that size, that moves that well isn't someone that just disappears. If he can shoot, he can shoot too. It just means there are other factors in the way. One, which many scouts have talked about is his lack of coaching. To my understanding he also didn't play a position and he's a kid. Players with this much potential are late lotto picks or are picked just after that and yes, some of those players don't work out, but the same amount DO work out. You can't compare what a player is like in high school to what he'd be in the NBA. In the NBA it's a job and responsibility and you're surrounded by a basketball environment. It's hard not to get better, especially when you're coming in at a young age. The guys that don't develop are usually guys that can't handle the pressure, they don't want to get better, have no confidence or they're just plain stupid.

[RollingWave]

Im shocked people are still talking about him. I think its safe to say that 90% of people on here havent watched him play and the only thing they have seen from him are youtube highlights. Ive seen him plenty and there is a reason why the people who have seen him plenty dont really talk about him much. Hes a great open gym player. But whenever you watch him play he disappears most of the time and this is against high school opponents. Its usually hard to tell just how good a big man is in high school cause they usually dominate all the time cause they are so physically superior compared to the average high school big. But with Thon he doesnt even dominate those games most of the time. And if he is in a big game against another big time high school big its almost a guarantee that he will get abused. I cant believe this is now at page 16. This is a guy that good teams take at the end of the 1st round or in the 2nd cause they can just sit them on the bench for a few years to see if he ever becomes a player, most of the time they dont and you never hear from them again

A guy with that size, that moves that well isn't someone that just disappears. If he can shoot, he can shoot too. It just means there are other factors in the way. One, which many scouts have talked about is his lack of coaching. To my understanding he also didn't play a position and he's a kid. Players with this much potential are late lotto picks or are picked just after that and yes, some of those players don't work out, but the same amount DO work out. You can't compare what a player is like in high school to what he'd be in the NBA. In the NBA it's a job and responsibility and you're surrounded by a basketball environment. It's hard not to get better, especially when you're coming in at a young age. The guys that don't develop are usually guys that can't handle the pressure, they don't want to get better, have no confidence or they're just plain stupid.

I dunno man, he's a kid but he's playing against other kids (often younger.) Yeah there's obviously something there that's why we're talking about him, but blaming coaching in a setting where you massively outclass most guys on the floor seems to be a stretch.

I mean if we look back to the highschool draftee era, it would usually take something REALLY special for a highschool kid to go in the lottery, Al Jefferson was other worldly dominant in Highschool and he went 15.

I would say Thon right now seems much closer to Amir Johnson (who went 56th) than even Al Jefferson, that we're still projecting him in the first round is already giving him plenty of benefits of a doubt .

If we look at say.. the foreign players, they've mostly been holding their own or even doing really well against PROFESSIONAL MEN, often even ex-NBA guys, say what you want about China or Europe, the average players there are still leaps and bounds better than the average highschool players. Thon hasn't shown a ton in real games vs other kids is a very legit concern.

Strengths
When watching Amir Johnson, the first noticeable skill has to be his great athletic ability. Amir runs the floor extremely well for a big man, often resulting in wide open lay-ups or dunks at the high school level. He also possesses long arms and nice leaping ability, enabling Johnson to snatch rebounds from high above, dunk on unsuspecting foes, and alter or block countless shots throughout the game. An added bonus is that Amir is comfortable jumping off of both his right and left legs which allows him to use his body to shield opposing defenders when going to the basket.

Offensively, he brings all the budding skills necessary for the “new age” power forward. Although the form on Johnson’s shot is poor, he still manages to consistently knock down jumpers all the way out to the NBA 3 point line. He has shown an impressive post game for such a young player consisting of both right and left handed jump hooks, as well as a flurry of quick spins off the blocks. Amir’s ball handling skills are not excellent, but they are very adept for a 6’10 player.

Amir’s sheer athletic ability will allow him to be a solid defender at whatever level he decides to play at next year. He has the ultimate combination of length, quickness, and leaping ability to enable himself to potentially be a stopper.

Johnson has all of the tools you can ask for in a post player, the question is whether he will actually put them to use or not.

Weaknesses
The most glaring weakness of the Louisville signee, besides the fact that he is extremely raw and inexperienced, is the form on his jumpshot. Johnson’s jumper contains very little lift, slow release, and a low point of release, enabling him to be blocked by smaller defenders. Although he may make a large amount of his shots in a shoot around or private workout without a defender guarding him, Amir does not have the same consistency in game situations due to the fact that he literally begins his shot from his waist and releases the ball at chest level.

Inconsistency is the next big thing that sticks out to me about Johnson. Whether it be his effort or his actual play, it seems to really hard to predict what Amir Johnson you will get night in and night out, as he doesn’t always seem to be 100% focused on the task at hand. For example, there is the Amir Johnson from the Roundball Classic (17 points, 8-11 shooting, beat everyone up and down the floor, showed nice post moves) or the Amir from the McDonald’s game (1 point, 0-5 shooting, didn’t appear to play hard, looked absolutely lost in the post). Because of this, his age and the fact that his game hasn’t been consistently evaluated against any type of competition, it is very tough to get a grasp on what type of player Amir will actually become. Basically, someone who drafts him will be taking a shot in the dark hoping that he pans out, considering all the many variables involved. The fact that eligibility issues have plagued him throughout his extremely short basketball career is something that also needs to be taken into consideration when talking about the likelihood of him realizing his full potential as a player.

The final weakness of Johnson is his extremely undeveloped body. Although he has a frame which can very easily be developed, at the moment Amir is a very frail player. At the first sign of any contact, Johnson can be seen crashing to the ground with a nice thud. He does not look to be more then 210 or 215 pounds, which is incredibly light for a power forward prospect. I remain confident that as long as Amir is able to land on an NBA roster, their strength and conditioning coaches will have an absolute field day with him and turn him into the physical specimen that his frame has the potential to be.

This was Amir's scouting report back in 2005, see the similarities? it took Amir 3 + years to be good, and by the time he was a legitimate rotation player he was already on another team. these are reasons why few teams would want to use a lotto on a project.

I think Thon has a better shooting form than Amir, but at the same time Amir was actually good at the big men stuff.