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Indiana Pacers: 5 Players To Consider With 20th Pick

By Cameron Stewart

Mar 5, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) brings the ball up court during the first half of a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) brings the ball up court during the first half of a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /
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LONG BEACH, CA - AUGUST 4: Thon Maker #34 poses for a portrait during the 2014 adidas Nations August 4, 2014 at Long Beach City College in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Kelly Kline/Getty Images)
LONG BEACH, CA – AUGUST 4: Thon Maker #34 poses for a portrait during the 2014 adidas Nations August 4, 2014 at Long Beach City College in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Kelly Kline/Getty Images) /

Thon Maker

7-foot-1, 216 pounds.
Did not play in 2015-16

Thon Maker is the biggest draft mystery in a long, long time.

He’s a walking, breathing urban legend who basically comes to the NBA out of Youtube University, after a highlight reel mixtape that came out a few years ago that got everybody talking.

In the video, you’d think Maker was destined to be the next great NBA legend. He’s an athletic seven-footer running the floor like a guard, knocking down stepback threes and blocking shots that shouldn’t be possible to be blocked.

The truth is that Maker isn’t really that good at playing basketball just yet. He’s the first player to go preps-to-pros since 2005, when the NBA invoked an age limit that basically blocked anyone coming straight out of high school. Maker is eligible due to a loophole in the rulebook.

What can Maker do or not do?

We don’t really know. He limited his basketball availability to individual workouts throughout the pre-draft process, not playing in scrimmages or partaking in the NBA Draft Combine, despite not being a lock for the first round.

Why take Maker here?

Recently in the NBA, players with the combination of great size and athleticism work out. Giannis Antetokounmpo was a player with extremely raw skills but with a great combination of size, length, and athleticism and he’s turned into an extremely promising prospect.

Antetokounmpo wasn’t lighting it up in Greek’s second-tier league, but developed into a great prospect.

Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz is another player who had a tremendous NBA body but lacked the skills to be a great prospect, but has found a way to be one of the league’s most valuable rim protectors who would surely be taken well before the 27th pick that he was drafted with in 2013 NBA Draft.

Also, both Antetokounmpo and Gobert became solid players much sooner than expected.

This helps Maker’s cause. If you’re drafting in the mid-late first round, it’s unlikely you draft an All-Star. Maker, due to his size and athleticism, has a tiny chance of being that kind of player, but it’s a better chance than you’d usually get with the 20th pick.

Maker is the very definition of a project player. There’s a good chance that in five years, we’re joking about a player being taken too high because of his potential, despite lacking NBA-level skills. However taking a chance on Maker is swinging for the fences.

As many baseball folks will tell you, if you swing for the fences, you’ll strike out a lot.

More hoops habit: The NBA's 50 Greatest Duos Of All-Time

But every now and then, you’ll knock one out of the park.

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