Thon Maker worked out for the Detroit Pistons on Friday. Stan Van Gundy said earlier in the offseason that he would be willing to swing for the fences with the 18th overall pick. Maker certainly fits that description. Will the Pistons draft him?
My affection for Thon Maker is no secret. Needless to say, when I heard that Maker was brought in by the Detroit Pistons for a workout on Friday I was stoked.
Six guys in today for draft workouts. #DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/6RZYzoAi35
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) June 3, 2016
Thon Maker is here for his 6th pre-draft workout and focuses on making his shots and being alert on defense pic.twitter.com/0paylVEZdx
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) June 3, 2016
"Maker worked out for the Pistons on Friday morning — his sixth team during his pre-draft workouts — and said he’s earned an interesting moniker from scouts and media members during his travels.“I’m the mystery man — I don’t know why they gave me that name,” Maker said. “I get it a lot in the interviews, but I tend not to read on it. I don’t really like reading on myself.“I don’t know those guys or what their background has been, (or if) they played basketball. I don’t know them, so I don’t trust them.”But Maker has begun turning heads in his workouts, with his lanky frame and adept perimeter shooting ability. Along with his height — and weight of about 216 pounds — he’s projected to be a stretch forward, one of the Pistons’ needs.It’s an interesting proposition but the Pistons likely would have to get him in the first round with their No. 18 pick, as he’s projected to be a certain first-round selection. In the latest mock draft by ESPN’s Chad Ford, he slots Maker at No. 19, one pick later."
Consider the Pistons interest in Maker legit–but don’t for a second think he’s a lock to be a Piston. It really depends who’s on the board at 18. For example, if Wade Baldwin IV was on the board or even Demetrius Jackson I would bet that the Pistons lean towards both players over Maker.
Still, for a team that could use another player with all-star potential, the Pistons have to be very intrigued at the prospects of adding Maker to their young core. Van Gundy isn’t really interested in getting younger, but there are always exceptions, and Maker could be that exception.
What makes Maker to the Pistons even more intriguing to me is the that he would have to start. He likely wouldn’t even have to contribute significant minutes earlier on as drafting such a raw player could make Van Gundy interested in bringing by veteran Anthony Tolliver to bridge the learning curve.
I think for Maker to succeed in the NBA at the level he is capable of he needs to be in a stable environment with a good coach and players on the roster to take him under their wing.
I can’t speak to the locker room environment having not been in the locker room, but it’s evident that the players have championship aspirations, thus, its in their best interest to embrace Maker.
As for the coaching aspect, the Pistons have a pretty good one in Van Gundy, who also serves as President of Basketball Operations–a stable environment indeed.
The last aspect–perhaps the most important–is Maker’s mental toughness. At just 19, Maker seems to have a pretty level head and he’s got a desire to be great.
There’s a lot of risk associated with Maker, but the elements needed for him to be a successful NBA player are there should the Pistons draft him.