Report: Thon Maker's Cousin Makur Doesn't Have Much Interest from NBA Teams

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Makur Maker, the younger cousin of Detroit Pistons forward Thon Maker and one of the top recruits in the 2020 class, may not try to jump to the NBA straight from high school like his relative did. 

According to Seth Davis of The Athletic, Makur, 19, isn't generating enough interest from the league to warrant his declaring for the draft and may have a complicated path ahead as he considers his options for next season. 

At 6'11", 235 pounds, Maker is 247Sports' No. 17 prospect and No. 4 center. He's received offers from Oregon, Kansas and Kentucky, though UCLA seems to have the inside track if he doesn't go pro, per Davis.

National recruiting analyst Josh Gershon projected he'll become a first-round pick, calling his NBA future "bright" while admiring his range from behind the arc. 

But with the NBA combine postponed and the predraft process at a standstill because of the coronavirus pandemic, Maker hasn't had a chance to impress NBA scouts recently.

According to Davis, that's left plenty of doubt surrounding his next move:

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"Maker is trying to keep his options open by getting academically eligible, but that is also a dicey proposition considering Maker is attending his fourth high school – and that doesn't include the period of time he was homeschooled when his school shut down. Maker is concluding his classwork this week for Pacific Academy in Irvine, Calif., and then will submit his paperwork to the NCAA Clearinghouse."

While Davis has UCLA as the clear front-runner for Maker's services, that won't matter if he's not academically cleared.

The G League offers a potential middle road. Multiple high-ranking recruits are forgoing college to play with an independent team in the NBA's developmental system, including Daishen Nix, Isaiah Todd and Jalen Green. Similarly, Maker could try his luck overseas and hope NBA scouts can study his game abroad. 

In any case, the center's NBA dreams may have to wait at least another year until his stock rises.