The future of Australian Basketball feat. Thon Maker

Superstar swan

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i dont think that the lakers team right now, would be all that terrible for simmons. would make a really nice pair with d'angelo plus they are good friends.

thats the problem with being the number 1 pick, any team you go to is going to be terrible. In saying that, if simmons is as good as advertised, the roster will be built around him anyway
 

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stewie griffen

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i dont think that the lakers team right now, would be all that terrible for simmons. would make a really nice pair with d'angelo plus they are good friends.

thats the problem with being the number 1 pick, any team you go to is going to be terrible. In saying that, if simmons is as good as advertised, the roster will be built around him anyway
As long as he doesnt open his phone :D
 

Arden

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Anyone know anything about Emmett Naar from St Mary's?

Any chance to get drafted in a few years?
Wouldn't have thought so. Very good player, think Delly with a bit more polish but a bit less grit. Great vision and awareness, was leading the nation in 3 point % during the season but it's very much a set shot. I actually like watching him play, very intelligent and safe with the ball but it would take a Delly like punt from a team. Would be very successful in Europe I reckon.

Just played his sophomore season but there are questions over the NCAA ruling his time at the AIS as his first year of eligiblility, so may be coming into his final season at Moraga.
 

Sam_Malone

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Wouldn't have thought so. Very good player, think Delly with a bit more polish but a bit less grit. Great vision and awareness, was leading the nation in 3 point % during the season but it's very much a set shot. I actually like watching him play, very intelligent and safe with the ball but it would take a Delly like punt from a team. Would be very successful in Europe I reckon.

Just played his sophomore season but there are questions over the NCAA ruling his time at the AIS as his first year of eligiblility, so may be coming into his final season at Moraga.
Thanks.

Hopefully he can have a breakout year at St Mary's but that isn't a strong conference (in terms of NBA players getting drafted), so he would really need to explode.
 

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djrossie

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He's more like Mickey McConnell than Delly or Patty, which isn't a bad thing in college but those two guys have some elite strengths that I don't see from Naar. Hope to be proven wrong and hope he becomes a regular Boomer one day.
 

Arden

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He's more like Mickey McConnell than Delly or Patty, which isn't a bad thing in college but those two guys have some elite strengths that I don't see from Naar. Hope to be proven wrong and hope he becomes a regular Boomer one day.
Is very good at getting into the paint and finding an option but can finish himself, which keeps the defenders guessing.

And is fantastic at managing the shot clock, so composed, just does not panic.
 

Happy Mastenator

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Any word on Thons workouts?

I'm intrigued by the possibility of him in Chicago but doubt we have the balls
Fairly positive from what i've seen. He's working out with everyone, heard reports of Suns, Pistons, Pacers, Utah, Boston, Atlanta.

Chad Ford wrote in a recent piece http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...ingram-jamal-murray-thon-maker-2016-nba-draft

"Thon Maker, F, Australia
Maker has been the biggest mystery man in the draft. Even after 90 minutes of watching him work out, I would say he remains so.

He aced his interviews at the combine. He tested as the second-tallest player in the draft. He has added weight and strength. His weight is up to 218 pounds and his body is starting to fill out. He could still add another 20 pounds, which shouldn't be a problem for him.

And in the drills I saw, he showed off a very solid 3-point jumper, great mobility for his position and a motor that goes nonstop. He's in great shape and he played incredibly hard.

Maker has the size, physical tools and determination to be a very good NBA player. But does he have the game?

Both Murray and Ingram say he does. They've worked out with him in 3-on-3 and even some 5-on-5 settings and vouch for him that he belongs. Until he gets on the floor in competitive situations against other top prospects, it's going to be tough to tell.

Maker is itching to get the chance to show that. He wants to move beyond his mixtapes. He knows he has a lot to learn, but he wants to prove that he can earn his keep in the league.

He has spent countless hours in the gym, and then at night is breaking down video of everyone from Kobe Bryant to Kevin Durant to Dirk Nowitzki.

But at least one GM says he thinks that his best chance to be a star will take him on a different path than those players.

"I think he'll eventually be a 5 in our league," the GM said. "He's got the size. He plays really hard. He's a tough kid. I think his defense will come along a lot quicker than the offense.

"I'd have him watch Tyson Chandler video. Rudy Gobert. Those guys were thin, too. He can do more than those guys can on the perimeter, I'm just not sure his NBA coach will want him to."

For a young man who is still seeking his identity as a player, is he really ready for the NBA?

"I will be ready," Maker said. "I will be. I'm preparing for it every day."

Workouts will be key for him. But if his workouts go as well as players like Ingram and Murray say they will, he might go in the first round. The Celtics, Sixers, Suns and Nuggets all have multiple picks. One of them might be willing to take a shot.

If they don't? Someone will likely grab him in the second round -- there's just too much intrigue to bypass."
 

freshazimiz

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Emmanuel Malou Melbourne raised has nominated for the draft. Been interviewed by Kings and Celtics.

Hope the kid can sneak into the draft, if not get picked up somewhere.
 

Happy Mastenator

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Chad ford has thon at 19 to Denver in his latest mock draft. Also mentions him as a smokey to the bucks at 10 if they decide to swing for the fences again like with the Giannis pick
 
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