Thon Maker declares for the 2016 NBA Draft; must be ruled eligible.

[CFAN38]

I'm curious what makes Maker a worse prospect than Bender.

This. I'm not a fan of Bender at all, yet everyone has him top 5. Heck, Maker could be a better prospect than Bender. He actually plays with fire. Bender screams bust to me. Maker though could actually become something I think.

Bender has a much larger body of work to look at then Maker. Bender isnt playing significant minutes but is he playing on a pro team and has shown well when given time. He has also played well in the different FIBA tourneys he has participated in. Maker has very limited exposer and truly is a mystery man who GM will really have to rely on workouts and scouts to get a feel for his game.

Based solely on write ups to compare the prospects Bender is slightly younger, roughly the same size, with a more diverse and refined offensive game.

I personally think Maker falls into the Question mark high ceiling group in this draft along with Labissiere.

[knuckleballer]

Scouts are criticizing him for being skinny and having skinny legs, but...

[The One]

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Thon-Maker-Exclusive-Post-NBA-Draft-Decision-Interview-5417

He sounds pretty mature and aware.

Eye opener - he's only been playing since 2011.  Room to develop??

[The One]

Maker or Chriss?

How about both!

[Dino Pitino]

I shot a little over 90% from the line over the past two seasons.

Wait, what?

[number_n9ne]

"With the #31 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics select Thon Maker from YouTube"

Hahahaha TP

[Evantime34]

I shot a little over 90% from the line over the past two seasons.

Wait, what?

Yeah that stuck out to me too. Stat heads have said that free throw percentage can be indicative of whether a player will develop into a good NBA 3 point shooter. If Maker can knock down some 3's or at least shows really good form in workout I could see him rocketing up the draft boards.

[gift]

I'm basically ready to give James Young's minutes to Thon Maker right now... so there's that.

[LarBrd33]

I'm basically ready to give James Young's minutes to Thon Maker right now... so there's that.

On the Red Claws?

Is Maker a stash candidate?  Can we draft his rights and have him play in Europe for a couple years?

[gift]

I'm basically ready to give James Young's minutes to Thon Maker right now... so there's that.

On the Red Claws?

Is Maker a stash candidate?  Can we draft his rights and have him play in Europe for a couple years?

D League, yes. Otherwise he'd have to agree to play in Europe or elsewhere.

[TheFlex]

Scouts are criticizing him for being skinny and having skinny legs, but...

I'm worried about Maker's hands and forearm strength. I saw a scouting report that said Maker had weak hands which has made and continues to make him a poor finisher in traffic. His lack of overall muscle concerns me far less than his supposed inability to control the ball in the paint. You need strong hands to finish in traffic, corral a rebound, etc.

TP to anyone who can provide more information on a) Maker's hands and raw strength and b) prospects in the past who have suffered the "weak hands" label and how they've fared in the pros.

[chilidawg]

I'm basically ready to give James Young's minutes to Thon Maker right now... so there's that.

On the Red Claws?

Is Maker a stash candidate?  Can we draft his rights and have him play in Europe for a couple years?

I think that's only the case if he's a second round pick, otherwise they have to sign him and take up a roster spot.  Although Euros can, so maybe I'm wrong.

[gift]

I'm basically ready to give James Young's minutes to Thon Maker right now... so there's that.

On the Red Claws?

Is Maker a stash candidate?  Can we draft his rights and have him play in Europe for a couple years?

I think that's only the case if he's a second round pick, otherwise they have to sign him and take up a roster spot.  Although Euros can, so maybe I'm wrong.

I think the difference is that as a first round pick you are guaranteed a contract. But it doesn't have to be right away. As a second round pick you are not guaranteed the contract but the team loses rights to you if they don't sign you. Or something like that. In either case, I don't think Maker is thinking about playing abroad.

[footey]

I've got to say, the dynamic of his desicison is quite interesting. I am eager to see what NBA determines

Does the NBA have any real ground for declaring him ineligible? I can see Maker pulling out of the draft late though like Porzingis did if he understands he won't be drafted very high.

Yes, they do.  He was in high school this year.  His argument is that he graduated last June and was taking classes to improve his grades and be eligible for college, but it's definitely a grey area in terms of the NBA rules, which require you to be finished with high school for a full NBA season.

Given the fact it is a gray area, I would imagine NBA will rule him ineligible, since they would like to stretch out the requirement going into the next CBA.

[Forza Juventus]

Hopefully he is declared eligible. It seems unfair that the nba gets to decide, it sounds like a conflict of interest. Also I have no respect for people like Chad Ford. All the criticism Thon Maker is getting sounds a lot like a smear campaign to me. I hope we draft him and I hope the nba doesn't collude and not draft him, I'm worried they will.