CHICAGO — Depending who you talk to, Thon Maker could be the next Kevin Durant or the next Pavel Podkolzin.
Durant, of course, is about to begin playing in the Western Conference Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder, while the 7-foot-4 Podkolzin became one of the biggest busts of all time after the Russian was chosen No. 21 by the Utah Jazz in 2004.
“[Maker] is Sidd Finch,” one NBA executive told me at the NBA Draft Combine, referring to the fictional baseball player and subject of the famous Sports Illustrated article by George Plimpton.
For his part, the 7-foot, 216-pound Maker said he’s a fan of Durant’s but doesn’t compare himself to him.
“Exactly, I like Durant as a player,” Maker, who is originally from Sudan and has lived in Australia, the U.S. and Canada, said with a chuckle here Friday. “They [the media] say I think I think I’m Durant.”
It remains to be seen where Maker gets drafted and what his future holds, but he is preparing to become the first player since 2005 to go directly from high school to the NBA.
He will work out next week for the Indiana Pacers (likely on Wednesday), while Atlanta, Boston, Orlando, Detroit and Minnesota are expected to bring him in for workouts, a source told SNY.tv. He met here with Minnesota, Boston, Charlotte, Portland, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Detroit, Orlando and the Lakers.
Maker is currently projected as the No. 39 pick by DraftExpress.com, but the source said he was hearing, “Now it’s between 6-20.”
“I feel confident,” Maker told ESPN’s Andy Katz on air. “I just know as soon as I get my foot in there I’m going to work my butt off and make sure I stay in the NBA.”
A team like the Celtics — with eight draft picks — might be inclined to take a gamble on Maker.
“You just take a swing on this guy if you like what you hear when you interview him and you know you’re getting a project, but with major upside,” ESPN’s Tom Penn said on air. “So that’s a perfect thing for that mid-first round range you start thinking about it.”
The NBA instituted the one-and-done rule in 2005 mandating that players must be 19 and one year removed from their high school graduating class to enter the draft. Maker turned 19 in February and argued that he had earned his high school diploma in 2015 while at Orangeville Prep in Ontario.
He originally planned to go to college and took an official visit to Kansas, and also considered Arizona State, Notre Dame, Indiana and St. John’s. He said on Friday he opted for the NBA “After my coach [Ed Smith] told me I may be eligible to go into this year’s draft.”
“I was like, ‘Let’s go,'” Maker said.
Maker didn’t play in 5-on-5 games at the Combine, so most NBA decision-makers haven’t seen him since the Nike Hoop Summit and have their doubts.
Hence the Sidd Finch comparisons.
“I said Kevin Durant two, three years ago, I’m not sure he’s that,” ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla said on air. “But he’s agile, he’s athletic, he’s long. He’s going to really impress people.You’re going to take him in the later part of the first round with a big guy you cand develop. You know he’s a great kid. He does have a great motor. He’s a good gamble somewhere after the lottery, and who knows the next couple weeks he can prove us wrong and he goes up.”
Added Jay Bilas: “I probably got him under-rated at 24. His talent suggests he should be higher, but you’re dealing with the old potential thing. What do you do when he hasn’t played in college, you haven’t seen him play and he’s only played in high school? But he’s got a lot of tools, he’s got a chance to be a really good player.”
Maker offered his own analysis of his game.
“Thon Maker is a very, very intense, high-IQ player,” he said. “He’s a playmaker and he’s a hard worker.”
He added that he can play inside and out.
“You switch a guard or a small on me, then you gotta be able to go inside,” he said. “You got a big, you gotta bring him outside. And then also being able to play both ends of the floor.”
Though the trend is toward position-less basketball in the NBA, it remains unclear what position Maker will guard in the NBA.
“They definitely ask and I’m a power forward and I’m able to defend three, four and five,” he said.
He added: “I definitely have to continue to gain strength and right now I’m really strong but I’m still working on getting stronger.”
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NDepending who you talk to, Thon Maker could be the next Kevin Durant or the next Pavel Podkolzin.
