The Sixer Sense
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Draft And Stash – Optimizing 2016 NBA Draft Picks 24 and 26

By Bret Stuter

May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; General view during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; General view during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Thon Maker

When you think of raw NBA talent, one of the first images that form is that of Thon Maker. He’s a 7′ center with moves like a guard.  He’s the Sudanese-born Australian who is attempting to jump from high school to the NBA, and he just may do so.   In order to be eligible, a player has to be at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school. Maker was born in February of 1997 and, according to his guardian, graduated high school in June of 2015 despite staying at Athlete Institute in Ontario, Canada for a fifth year of high school.  His situation was so unique that the NBA gave him the go ahead.

Maker measured at 7’0 and 220 pounds in 2015 and has a high motor and perimeter skills on both ends. Big men who can space the floor and move their feet on defense have value in the modern NBA and Maker has the potential to be that type of player a few years down the line.

He’s the mixtape phenom, a player whose images on the basketball court appeared just as his name reached you.  And Thon Maker wishes that wasn’t the case:

"“People have gotta stop with the mix-tape stuff,” Maker said. “That’s not me. I bet you those people that put out those mix-tapes haven’t really sat through a whole game of mine and watched it and saw my defensive rotations, the way I communicate to my teammates, the way I pass the ball. They probably got the bad passes, the one-handed passes, and didn’t get the fundamental two-handed ones, or jump stop, or skip passes. They don’t get to see all of that stuff. So some people use that to identify me, the mix-tapes, and I just told the teams what it is. That’s not me.”"

Who is Thon Maker? He is a very talented 7’0″ player who could fall to 24 or 26. If he does, he would be a prime player to select and stash internationally.

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