Twitter/Thon Maker
Thon Maker, one of the most anticipated players in the Class of 2016, will skip college basketball altogether and declare for the 2016 NBA Draft.
The phenom from Sudan who made his way to Australia and eventually Canada will join the draft but there are still questions on whether the NBA will allow it.
The "decision" was aired through a video exclusive by Bleacher Report. In the video, they also named the schools that were still in the running to recruit him: Kansas, Notre Dame, Indiana and St. John's And Arizona State. He also narrated his journey and sacrifices.
"We believe that Thon has fulfilled the academic requirements to be eligible for the 2016 draft," Edward Smith, Maker's legal guardian, said told Bleacher Report. "He will apply for the 2016 NBA draft and await approval from the NBA. Thon has been the hardest-working and the most astute kid I've coached in my 23 years of coaching. I'm happy to have placed him in the position to have this choice."
The NBA rule is that a player can be eligible for the NBA draft if he is at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school. Maker turned 19 in February but he is still attending Orangeville Prep in Canada. What they need to prove is that Maker is part of the class of 2015 and took on a post-graduate year.
Maker wanted to know if he would be allowed by the NBA but the process dictates that he must declare for the draft to get a response.
Now, assuming Maker gets the nod of the NBA, just how much of a difference will he make? Will he break the two-man question of who's no.1 between Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram?
In an insider report from ESPN draft guru Chad Ford, he took the assessment from Paul Biancardi who said that "Maker would be ranked in the top 10 of this year's loaded high school class." That would make him a five-star recruit and it would also be "high praise" as the 2016 high school is one of the most loaded in years, with as many as 27 five star recruits.
Maker will still have predraft workouts and combines, but Ford conservatively placed him at no.20 in his top 100. He is behind French prospect Timothe Luwawu and over Thomas Bryant, a center at Indiana.
Still, Ford admits most teams are wary at this time since they don't know much about him. However, he does offer this projection.
"If Maker comes into workouts, makes shots, plays with toughness and pick things up quickly, he'll likely rise on the draft board. If teams see enough upside, he might land in the lottery."
Maker is not considered as a difference maker or a draft shaker, at least not yet.
