7 foot 8th Grader Thon Maker (looks like a young KG)

[lightspeed5]

ESPN top 25 players of class of 2016
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings/_/class/2016

[LarBrd33]

uh... he looks less talented than I was in 4th grade... except he's 7 feet tall.   

Why is this a thing?  Maybe I'm not getting this video.  I guess he could turn into a player someday.  But not all 7 footers can cut it when they aren't playing against guys who are 2 feet shorter than them.

Because he's 14 years old and is already amazingly coordinated. This is huge because he can develop guard skills from here on in. Most big men arrive at that height at 16-17 years old and are still getting used to their bodies. The reason KG was so gifted is because he was 6 foot 10 in 9th grade and was playing point forward in 8th grade. Complete inside/outside game develops much quicker.

How many 8th graders or 14 year old have you seen like Thon Maker? Think of how rare Dirk Nowitzki's height/skill set are.
Jesus how many high school seniors or 16 year olds have you seen like Karl Towns Jr?

They grew up watching Lebron, Dirk and Durant and it's changing basketball. They'd usually be thrown in the paint and learn post moves and center skill sets but they realize that it's fine to be a guard at 6 feet 9 and by the time they're 7 feet tall they could play point or shooting guard.
New era of freakishly gifted humans that have broadened their skill set. Dictionary meaning of evolution.

He's actually currently ranked 1st ESPN's 2016 class and is about to turn 16 so this vid is over a year old.

Good points. 

[TripleOT]

Towns amazingly played for DR against the US in 2012 at age 16.  His teammate, Francisco Garcia, when asked for an NBA comparison, said Kevin Durant.  That's probably a stretch, but does say something for Towns' skill set at his size. 

What a coincidence that John Calipari coached the 2012 DR team and Towns ended up a 2014 UK recruit.