19 years old, Sudan, PF/C
7’0.75, 216 lbs
6.05 percent body fat, 9′.25″ standing reach, 7’3″ wingspan
High School Stats In 2015-16 (Athlete Institute Prep)
6 games, 29 PPG, 14.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, 3.7 BPG, 1.0 SPG, 56.6 FG%, 72.7 FT%, 31.6 3P%
Maker is expected to be a late first-round, early second-round pick.
Maker’s best game came on Nov. 4 against The Hill Academy. Maker finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds, four steals, three assists and a block. He shot 12-for-24 from the field, 8-for-9 from the free-throw line and 2-for-5 from the free-throw line.
He has the height of an NBA power forward/center. You can’t teach that. He’s a solid ball handler for his size, but should never be dribbling when a defender is pressuring him on the perimeter. He’s an above-average shot blocker. For a big man, he has decent range since he played a big chunk growing up playing on the perimeter, which is also a bit problematic.
With Maker spending so much time playing on the perimeter in his younger years, his shot selection isn’t great and that didn’t help him develop his post moves, which is going to be a work-in-progress at the next level. He needs to gain weight, but with the right strength and conditioning program, he should be OK.
Honestly, I have no idea how Maker will fair in the NBA. Nobody does, himself included. He’s got NBA height and he’ll fill out from getting older, but the whole situation is pretty funky. He had great numbers last season, but it was a small sample size and he was a year older (at least) than his competition.
Is he worth a first-round gamble? Probably. Is he worth a lottery pick? Probably not, unless you think you have time to develop him.
If a team drafts Maker, it better have the proper resources, time and coaches to help Maker make the leap from high school to the pros. Yes, he’s a year older, but didn’t play in college or professionally overseas like Brandon Jennings and Emmanuel Mudiay.
Maker told us at the Combine that he’s gained a “good” 27 pounds over the last 15 months.
I’ve done the exact opposite.
@Kyle_Ratke watched him play live earlier this year. Very athletic, lanky big man with good floor vision and elite blocking ability.
@Kyle_Ratke just eager to learn more lol
@Kyle_Ratke a risk I would not be willing to take in the first 25 picks. Would consider after that.
@Kyle_Ratke when opponents hack him, we can call it a Hack-A-Thon.
