2016 NBA Draft: Prospects Who Aced The Combine

Thon Maker, Athlete Institute

Position: Forward/Center
Age: 19 (2/25/1997)
Height, Weight, Wingspan: 7’0.75″, 216 pounds, 7’3″
Slash Line: N/A
Season Averages: N/A

Thon Maker has been an intriguing enigma for years on end. He was a breakout high school star due to the success of his YouTube highlight videos, which inevitably became a topic of conversation at the 2016 NBA Draft Combine.

Per Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated, called out those responsible for the viral videos and stated that he plays nothing like the way he was presented.

"“I bet you those people who put them out haven’t sat through a whole game of mine and watched it. My defensive rotation, the way I communicate to my teammates, the way I pass the ball,” Maker says. “They probably got the bad passes, the one-hand passes, not the fundamental, two-hand, jump-stop, they don’t get to see all that stuff. Some people use that to identify me, and I told the teams what it is.”"

In other words, Maker is a true basketball player, and not just a highlight reel.

Maker justified the hype from a physical perspective. He measured at just under 7’1″ in shoes with a 7’3″ wingspan, which gives him extraordinary size and length for both the power forward and center positions in the NBA.

Per Woo, Maker also revealed whom he patterns his game after: Kevin Garnett.

Maker has more Garnett in his game than any of his previous comparisons—including a Kevin Durant likening that he blasted while talking to reporters. Maker can score, but he’s more of an all-around threat who can do a bit of everything on both ends.

If nothing else, Maker carries and presents himself like a player who’s destined for big things.

Next: 3-and-D with an Explosive Twist