Thon Maker is on the verge of realizing his NBA dream, but doing so won’t make those of others that inevitably accompanied his viral highlight mixtape come true. He isn’t the player who was once deemed “revolutionary,” nor the future superstar those jaw-dropping clips of dunks, crossovers, and jumpers suggested.
At the NBA Draft Combine, Maker is exactly like most of his peers: A prospect trying to improve his draft stock with testing, interviews, and 5-on-5 scrimmaging. He isn’t a surefire top-two choice like Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram, or even a lottery hopeful Skal Labissiere or Marquese Chriss. Maker is a potential first-round pick; hoping for anything more than that would be setting himself up for disappointment.
That reality, of course, doesn’t align with the incredible hype that surrounded the seven-footer after that fateful highlight reel was released two years ago. But Maker understands who he is as a player nonetheless, and thinks it’s time others start to celebrate the one he is as opposed to the one he’s not.
“People gotta stop with the mixtape stuff,” the 19 year old told Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo. “That’s not me.”
Indeed. What Maker’s tantalizing blend of length and natural athleticism suggest he could be is a big man who can stretch the floor and play in space defensively while protecting the rim. Those types of players are exceedingly rare, and have never been more valuable than they are in the present day.
Shouldn’t that potential alone make him a lock for the first round at the very least? In a vacuum, yes, but Maker might have more weaknesses at this point in his development than he does strengths. He often plays outside his comfort zone offensively; needs a lot of work to hone his shooting mechanics; has never played against high-level competition; and maybe most importantly, his two-way feel for the game is altogether lacking.
Height and fluidity, basically, only matter so much. Teams just can’t be sure a prospect this exceedingly raw will ever develop into a worthwhile player. Maker’s first step to becoming one, however, is acknowledging he’s not a superstar-in-the-making – and he’s obviously doing it already.
“I said I like Durant as a player,” he said to Sports Illustrated. “They said I think I think I’m Durant.”
We’re betting a team remembers Maker’s sense of self on draft night and takes a flier on him in the late first round. What happens to this former phenom from there will remain anyone’s guess.
