“Team All-Length.”
Those were the words of Thon Maker during his workout with the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this month. Now, he’s a part of the team.
The Bucks have selected Maker with the tenth overall pick in the NBA Draft.
Milwaukee plans to select Thon Maker with the No. 10 overall pick, sources tell @TheVertical. GM John Hammond has been enamored with him.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 24, 2016
Maker is the first player to be drafted out of high school since 2005, as was able to bend the rules and enter this year. He was projected to be one of the top picks in 2017 before being granted eligibility to enter the draft this year.
At 7-foot-1, Maker will offer even more height to a lengthy Bucks team. He projects as an even taller Giannis.
An unexpected pick, controversy has been surrounding Maker prior to the draft. A report stated that many teams were unsure of Maker’s actual age, knocking them him off their first round draft board.
Several teams have entirely ruled Thon Maker out of the first round due to his age. Multiple sources believe Maker to be 21-23, not 19.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 23, 2016
During his press conference tonight, GM John Hammond said records indicate that Maker is indeed 19. Maker also said that rumors of his age are false, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Born in South Sudan and an Australian native, Maker originally attended high school in Martinsville, Virginia before moving to a predatory school in Ontario, Canada.
Maker was the 2013-14 Gatorade High School Player of the Year.