Thon Maker, the 7-footer from Athlete Institute in Ontario, will declare for the NBA Draft this summer, Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells reported Sunday.
Maker, a native of the Sudan who grew up in Australia and has played high school basketball in the U.S. and Canada, had taken an official visit to Kansas and was considering Indiana, Notre Dame, St. John’s and Arizona State. He was projected as the No. 29 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com and had been compared to Kevin Garnett and Kevin Durant. He is now listed as the No. 44 best prospect in 2016 by DraftExpress.com.
One NBA executive told SNY.tv that if Maker becomes eligible for this year’s NBA Draft, he believes a team may take a flyer on him in the first round.
“I do see someone selecting him in the first round for sure,” the executive said. “Let’s hope he goes to college and is not eligible for the NBA Draft.”
Maker, 19, reportedly graduated high school last year and is currently in prep school for a fifth year.
The NBA will have to make a ruling to determine his draft eligibility. Currently, draft-eligible prospects need to be at least 19 years old and at least one year removed from high school.
From Bleacher Report:
“We believe that Thon has fulfilled the academic requirements to be eligible for the 2016 Draft,” Edward Smith, Maker’s legal guardian said to 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,” Smith continued. “I’m happy to have placed him in the position to have this choice.”
Maker will not participate in the Nike Hoop Summit on April 9 and will instead begin NBA workouts, according to Scout.com’s Evan Daniels.
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