After being declared eligible for the 2016 NBA Draft on Wednesday, Thon Maker is now the first player since 2005 to enter the NBA Draft straight from high school. While this historic decision is causing a media frenzy, this is far from unexpected, as scouts all over the country have praised Maker as being one of the most “NBA Ready” high school prospects in years. Earlier this year, before deciding to forego college, the 7’1”, 218 lb center had offers from nearly any school you could think off, from the likes of Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana and numerous others. However when it came time for a decision, Maker shocked the world.

 

  Now, Maker is projected to be a first round draft pick by many, which is something that wouldn't have seemed at all possible years ago. Born in South Sudan, Maker has had quite a journey to get to where he is today.

At the age of five, a local administrator organized for Maker, along with his younger brother, Matur, to escape the civil war in Sudan at the time. They were then accepted as refugees in Australia, moving to Perth. Maker would then live in Australia until the age of 13. Then, he met Ed Smith. “I started playing basketball at 13 with my coach and guardian, Coach [Ed] Smith. He was the one that got me started with basketball and we’ve been getting better together ever since.”

 

   After meeting Smith, Maker has traveled all over the world with ambitions of being an NBA star. “Each place offers something special and I just have to keep on playing. The reason I moved to those places is for me to get better, so I didn’t just travel around for no reason.” Maker continued. “Even though I love traveling, I didn’t just travel to those places. I traveled to those places to get better.”

There is no doubt that his game has improved exponentially. When he first moved to the United States, Maker’s game was nothing to commend, but through hard work, Maker transformed into one of the nation’s top high school prospects. While most centers can be described as “very bland”, Maker is anything but. “I’m able to shoot the ball, pass the ball, and dribble the ball.” Explained Maker. “So, just being a complete basketball player is my greatest strength and using my IQ to throw the defense off.”

 

Even with his tremendous basketball success, Maker is always working to improve, saying, “I’m currently working on my left-handed hook shot. It’s been pretty good lately because teams are getting too used to scouting me, but I’m working on my game.” he says.

Maker is also able to improve by working with his younger brother, Matur. The brothers played together at Athlete Institute(Ontario, Canada) before Thon graduated, forming a dynamic duo that shook up the world of high school basketball. “When I had him by my side, it was good because it’s very hard for teams to get through us due to the length and the size that we bring to the team. Offensively and defensively, it’s very hard to guard us.” Said the elder Maker. However, during Thon’s Senior year, Matur missed a significant amount of the season, which put Thon in a tough position, saying, “Having him by my side was a big key, but having him missing is kind of like me left on an island.”

 

Most 19 year olds would feel a lot of pressure, entering the NBA Draft straight out of high school, but not Maker. “There’s really no pressure.” Maker claims. “I just gotta play and not worry about it.  I just worry about who they say is the top guy and I gotta come at them. If it’s me, then I have to come at myself and make sure that I get better, make sure I beat me.”

With the NBA draft coming up in the next few months, Thon Maker is sure to be dominating headlines as the first player to enter the NBA draft under their new “One and Done” rules. If one thing’s for sure, Thon Maker is fulfilling his “Draft Dreams”.