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Jakob Poeltl vs. Thon Maker – Raptors whiffed on the pick

By Chris Mckee

TORONTO, ON - APRIL, 18 In fourth quarter action, Milwaukee Bucks forward Thon Maker (7) goes up over Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka (9) for a couple of points.The Toronto Raptors took on the Milwaukee Bucks in NBA basketball action at the Air Canada Centre in game 2 of the first round of playoffs.April 18, 2017 Richard Lautens/Toronto Star (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL, 18 In fourth quarter action, Milwaukee Bucks forward Thon Maker (7) goes up over Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka (9) for a couple of points.The Toronto Raptors took on the Milwaukee Bucks in NBA basketball action at the Air Canada Centre in game 2 of the first round of playoffs.April 18, 2017 Richard Lautens/Toronto Star (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Raptors selected Jakob Poeltl with the ninth pick in the 2016 NBA draft passing up on wonder kid Thon Maker who played his high school ball in the Toronto area. Looking back a year later, it appears the Raptors whiffed on the pick by not selecting Maker.

The Toronto Raptors selected Jakob Poeltl with the ninth pick in the 2016 NBA draft.

The Milwaukee Bucks were on the clock next and selected Thon Maker with the 10th pick in the draft.

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Maker is a freakishly athletic 7-foot-1 power forward who can also play centre.

Maker never ended up playing in the NCAA but opted instead to stay in the Toronto area playing high school ball in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) for the highly regarded Orangeville Prep program.

Orangeville Prep and Athlete Institute are a joint basketball program in Mono, ON (just NW of Toronto) that play and practice under the same roof while players involved with both teams attend Orangeville District Secondary School.

The Athlete Institute is sending seven of their most recent group of players to play NCAA Division 1 basketball at some of the most prestigious programs in the U.S.

Both O’Shae Brissett and Howard Washington Jr. will play for Syracuse in the fall while Jahvon Blair was Patrick Ewing’s first signing for the Georgetown Hoyas.

https://twitter.com/AI_Academy/status/899637861636550657

Maker was very familiar to the Raptors organization because he was a regular in the crowd at the Air Canada Centre to watch the Raptors play. I saw him at Raps games with my own eyes (he’s hard to miss in a crowd).

He was also featured on TV at the annual Bio Steel game in Toronto that features the top high school players from across Canada and is aired nationally on TSN which is the same network that airs Raptors games in Canada.

So why did the Raptors pass on the chance to draft Maker for Poeltl?

Masai Ujiri and the Raptors scouts and coaches all had multiple opportunities to see Maker play up close and get to know him off the court. 

They had the chance to evaluate Maker more so than any other player in the draft because the vast majority of his games were played in the Toronto area.

It isn’t often that 7-foot players come along who can handle the ball like a point guard yet the Raptors opted to select another 7-foot centre in Poeltl who plays like most other 7-footers.

Concerns about Maker prior to the draft.

There were some concerns about Maker which included his age.

Some claimed the Sudanese born Maker was actually much older than his advertised age of 19.

Others worried if his wirey frame could hold up to the daily rigours of an NBA season.

Rookie season stats Poeltl vs. Maker.

Maker played in 57 games for the Bucks during the 2016-17 season which included 34 starts. He averaged 9.9 minutes with 4.0 points per game.

Poeltl played in 54 games for the Raps with only four starts while averaging 3.1 points per game.

Neither players stats were exactly eye-popping but Maker showed flashes of brilliance as the season progressed while Poeltl showed flashes of nerves and inconsistency.

Late in the season, Maker became a regular in the highlight reel on Sportscentre while Poeltl became a regular at the Hershey Centre (playing for Raptors 905).

Based on the selection of Poeltl over Maker, its clear that the Raptors draft players who fill specific roles instead of just selecting the best player available on the board.

Next: NBA free agents swipe left for Toronto Raptors.

Both teams and players deserve at least another season as a grace period to declare the winner of their 2016 draft selections but at the quarter pole of the race, Maker and the Bucks have a 12 length lead heading down the stretch.

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