The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz: Best Prospects in Pre-Draft Workouts

By Ryan Aston

Feb 13, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Washington Huskies guard Dejounte Murray (5) attempts to regain control of the basketball in the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center. The Buffaloes defeated the Huskies 81-80. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Washington Huskies guard Dejounte Murray (5) attempts to regain control of the basketball in the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center. The Buffaloes defeated the Huskies 81-80. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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Thon Maker, Australia

Age: 19, Height: 7’1″, Weight: 216 lbs.

Current Prospect Rankings–DraftExpress: 41, NBADraft.net: 30, CBS Sports: 33

Last Season:  HIGH SCHOOL

Walt Perrin’s Post-Workout Comments: “I thought he played pretty well. Considering he had a pro day yesterday, I was worried about him. But he was in good shape, he shot the ball well and he got through it. It was impressive that he was in shape. He’s gotten bigger and he’s figuring out how to play.”

Spencer Wixom Analysis–
Maker is a 19-year-old that is essentially coming out of high school. He moves well for a long, seven-foot-one guy. Shooting is a relative strength for Thon; he has shown that he can stretch the floor some, hitting the three at 31.6 percent.

The biggest strength that Thon has is his athleticism for his size. He can run and jump very well. This led to a lot of dunks and blocks for him at that level of competition.

Maker is a similar prospect to Bruno Caboclo, who was selected by the Raptors a few years ago. He is “two years away from being two years away.” Unfortunately, Thon is the victim of YouTube highlights. These highlights have led to a lot of fans thinking he is much further along than he really is.

The basketball IQ of Maker is really minimal at this point. He has little understanding of defensive or offensive systems.  This was evidenced by his 5.2 percent assist rate compared to his 16.4 percent turnover rate. He gambles a ton of defense and the highlights of blocks have led people to think he is a better defender than he is. Maker also only weighs 216 lbs. and will be manhandled by NBA big men.

No player in this draft has a bigger pendulum of outcomes than Maker. I personally think that he is an unsafe gamble to make any time before the late first round. The Jazz could use a shooting big, but I think they will want one who understands the game better than Maker.

Many think that Maker could be a star, I see him closer to a Anthony Randolph type.

Next: Deyonta Davis