Training Camp Invitees
The Rockets signed both Thon Maker and Markquis Nowell to Exhibit 10 contracts for training camp. Exhibit 10 contracts are flexible ones from the team’s perspective. They’re non guaranteed training camp deals that allow the player to make 75k if they are sent to the Rockets GLeague affliate Rio Grande Vipers and remain for 60 days.
Let’s have a look at both players, and then I’ll wax lyrical about prospect evaluation, metrics, and that sort of thing.
Thon Maker
Thon Maker is a 27 year old 7ft, 225lb center, drafted 10th overall in 2016 by the Milwaukee Bucks. He’s originally of South Sudanese origin, a team you might remember as giving Team USA a scare in a warm up game, and generally playing their butts off in the Olympics. Maker applied to play for South Sudan in the Paris Olympics, but that bid was denied, because Maker is Australian by citizenship, one presumes.
Maker last played in the NBA in the 2020-21 season, when he played 8 games for Cleveland. Before that his season high was 74 games, played in 2017-18 for the Bucks. He reached as high as 19.4 minutes per game played in 2019-20 for Detroit.
Overall in his career Maker has averaged 12pts/7rbs/1.6ast/1stl/1.7blk per36 minutes played. He shot 33% from 3pt range on 1.5 attempts per game (3.9 per36), and 51% overall, on 2.2 (5.8 per36) attempts per game.
Thon has played in the NBA, the GLeague, China, Lebanon, and Israel in recent years.
Maker was touted as a spacing big, and good out of the pick and roll, with high athleticism, active, with a high motor.
Markquis Nowell
Did Daryl Morey bring Marquis Nowell into camp? At 5’8” he’s more like the guys Daryl was drafting in the second round than the large athletic players generally favored by Rafael Stone and company. Nowell entered the draft in 2023 as a senior out of Kansas State, where he fell in the top 10 of point guard prospects. Nowell won the Bob Cousy Award for best collegiate point guard in 2022-2023, a season in which he averaged 23.5pts, 14.5 assists, and 4 steals per game. So it’s safe to say, he can pass it a little, and score, too.
He went undrafted but did wind up playing on a two-way contract for the Raptors GLeague affiliate, and got into one game, for four minutes with the Raptors. You’ll pardon me if I ignore the four minute NBA sample.
He played 22 games in the GLeague and went 17pts/4rbs/11.4ast/2.3stl/.6blk for Raptors 905.
One has to assume that what is holding Nowell back at this point is simply his height, and probable difficulties on defense, but if Jose Alvardo can sign a real NBA contract, perhaps there’s hope for Nowell. He does seem to know how to run the point, which would be useful as both a training camp hopeful, and opponent, and in The Valley.
Rockets Outlook
If either Maker or Nowell get big minutes in Houston, something has either gone very, very, wrong, or very right. The Rockets currently have three centers rostered, and three point guards, in VanVleet, Sheppard, and Holiday. Four if you include Amen Thompson. If the Rockets are simply destroying opponents, well, maybe you’d see them? If the Rockets get crushed by injuries, you might see them. Otherwise, it seems unlikely either are anything much more than depth at Rio Grande Vipers. That’s a shame in both cases, as there’s clearly talent there for both players. Perhaps Nowell can scrap his way, pass, shoot and defend his way into an NBA role.
Some Thoughts
Thon Maker was seen as a prototype when he was drafted, big, long, athletic, shoots it from three, does a bit of everything. You can see why the Bucks were eager to try to catch lightning in a bottle again, after drafting Giannis in 2014. Maker, though, did not make it as an NBA player, despite his top 10 pick status.
It took the league a while to come back to that prototype in large numbers, with Maker serving as an example of drafting for measurables and dreams not being enough. And Thon could actually hit some three point shots.
Right now we’re seeing a redux of trying to find the sort of player than the Bucks dreamt Thon Maker might be. We saw Risacher go #1, Sarr #2, Salaun #6, Buzelis #9, as well as examples from previous drafts. I’d argue that no player on that list really displayed any NBA level skill. It’s more than they had a dream NBA profile, much like Thon Maker did. Perhaps one and all will be great? I suspect there are more Thon Makers in that group than Giannises.
In contrast, we have Nowell, who is all skill, no NBA physical profile. He, unlike much of the 2024 draft class, and Thon Maker himself, probably won’t keep getting chances in the NBA, which is a shame, but where we are.