Thon Maker

Wheat Hotchkiss

Fred VanVleet's college résumé is as impressive as they come.

In his four years at Wichita State, VanVleet led the Shockers to 120 wins. They made a Cinderella run to the 2013 Final Four and took an undefeated record into the NCAA Tournament the next season. VanVleet was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year twice and was an honorable mention AP All-American three times. He graduated as the school's all-time leader in assists, steals, and assist-to-turnover ratio.

But despite all those accolades, when the invites went out for last month's NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, VanVleet wasn't on the list. That slight would anger many players, but don't expect VanVleet to carry a chip on his shoulder because of it.

"I don't think I have any more room on my shoulder for more chips," VanVleet said after his pre-draft workout with the Pacers on Wednesday morning at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. "I'm pretty booked when it comes to that.

"It doesn't surprise me. It's just the way my story has always been and always will be, I guess."

VanVleet is used to being overlooked. The 6-foot guard from Rockford, Ill. didn't receive any offers from a high-major program coming out of high school. He wound up at Wichita State, where he helped lead the Shockers on one of the more impressive four-year runs any mid-major program has ever enjoyed.

He played a significant role as a freshman, averaging 16.2 minutes per game and raised his game to another level on the biggest stage. He scored 13 points to help the ninth-seeded Shockers knock off top-seeded Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, then had 12 points a week later when they bested second-seeded Ohio State to improbably advance to the Final Four.

Over the next three years, VanVleet was one of the most dependable players in all of college basketball. He averaged 11.6 points per game as sophomore, 13.6 as a junior, and 12.2 as a senior. His other stats were even more consistent, as the point guard averaged between 5.2 and 5.5 assists and between 1.8 and 1.9 steals per game in each of his final three collegiate seasons.

All the while, the Shockers won a lot of games. They lost a total of just three conference games over VanVleet's final three years, went to the Sweet 16 in 2015 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in both 2014 and 2016. A talented Kentucky team spoiled Wichita State's dreams of an undefeated season when they knocked off the Shockers in the second round in 2014, but Wichita State bounced back the next two seasons, beating three higher-seeded teams in the next two NCAA Tourneys.

VanVleet consistently performed at his best against the best competition. Indiana fans won't soon forget his 27-point performance in a first-round  win over the Hoosiers his junior year. He followed up that game by tallying 17 points, six rebounds, six assists, and four steals in an upset win over second-seeded Kansas two days later.

Night in and night out, you knew what you could expect from Fred VanVleet.

"I take pride in playing every game like it's my last," VanVleet said.

But despite all his accomplishments in college, NBA scouts aren't exactly salivating over VanVleet's pro potential. He's on the smaller side, even for a pure point guard. He isn't particularly quick and his athletic measurements likely aren't going to catch anyone by surprise. You won't find his name in the first round of any mock drafts and you'll be hard-pressed to find sites that project him as even a second-round selection.

Even at his pre-draft workout on Wednesday, VanVleet went largely unnoticed by the local media, who instead hovered around 7-foot-1 Thon Maker, the 19-year-old prospect who's attempting to enter the NBA straight out of high school (if you're interested in Maker, Pacers.com's Mark Montieth has you covered). There's no question that VanVleet is a more polished player than Maker, but "potential" often carries a lot more weight than "proven" when it comes to the NBA Draft.

Still, there is a place for guys like VanVleet in the pros. He can run the point and he's a good shooter, with a career 3-point percentage of .386 and free throw percentage of .805. He could likely carve out a lengthy career and make a lot of money overseas, but he isn't giving up on the NBA dream just yet.

"There's 30 teams," VanVleet said on Wednesday. "All it takes is one team to fall in love. I'd love for it to be the Pacers."

Jake Layman and Shavon Shields are well-acquainted. The two wings had many head-to-head battles during their days in the Big Ten, starring at Maryland and Nebraska, respectively.

They found themselves matched up once again on Wednesday as the two wings at the Pacers' pre-draft workout.

"It was good to play against and compete against him again," Shields said.

"We're good friends now after playing against each other for a couple years," Layman added.

Of the two prospects, Layman is generally considered the better potential pro. Most projections have the 6-9 forward going in the middle of the second round. DraftExpress currently has Layman going 49th overall, while ESPN.com's Chad Ford ranks him as the 51st-best prospect in this year's draft class. The Pacers own the 50th overall selection in the Draft, which will take place at the Barclays Center on June 23.

Layman has great size for an NBA wing and long strides that help him run the floor well. He is a capable shooter, knocking down just under 40 percent of his 3-pointers and over 83 percent of his free throws as a senior.

Layman's length and mobility also allowed him to be a plus-defender in college and he said on Wednesday that he thinks he can guard any position from 1-4.

But perhaps Layman's best attribute might be that he stays within himself. On a Maryland team with a host of future pros, Layman played a very specific role, knocking down open shots and playing solid defense. He'd likely be asked to take on a similar role at the next level, which should help him transition from the college to the pro game.

"I think an ability that I have is to be able to form into whatever role I'm given," Layman said.

He did just that at the NBA Combine last month, blending in well with teammates in five-on-five scrimmages. Layman had nine points and six rebounds on 3-of-6 shooting in his first scrimmage and then scored 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting in his second exhibition.

The biggest knock on Layman is that he isn't great at creating his own shot, although that isn't something that he was asked to do much at Maryland. Still, the former Terrapin has been putting a lot of emphasis on his ball-handling during the pre-draft process in hopes of showing teams that he is more than just a spot-up shooter.

Shields, meanwhile, was a second-team All-Big Ten selection as a senior, when he led the Cornhuskers in scoring at 16.8 points per game. At 6-7 and 220 pounds, he also has good size for an NBA wing, but needs to improve his shot in order to stick at the next level.

Shields shot under 20 percent from 3-point range as a junior and though he improved his percentage to .364 last season, he likely faces an uphill battle convincing scouts that he can consistently knock down shots from beyond the longer NBA arc.

Still, Shields has a few intriguing qualities. For one, he's very intelligent. He majored in biological sciences at Nebraska and was a two-time Academic All-American.

"I think I'm a pretty intellectual person, a smart person, so I think my basketball IQ and things like that translate to the court," Shields said.

Shields also has an outstanding athletic pedigree, albeit in a different sport. His father, Will, won the Outland Trophy as an offensive lineman at Nebraska and then was a 12-time Pro Bowler as a guard for the Kansas City Chiefs. He is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

Shavon Shields didn't directly follow in his father's footsteps, choosing instead to pursue his own passion for basketball. Still, he's learned a lot from watching his father ply his trade, lessons that he can carry over into his own career in professional sports.

"He's a super hard worker," Shields said about his father. "He didn't play the most glorious position, but he did his job every day, showed up to work and that made him successful."

Zimmerman Hoping to Follow in Friend Turner's Footsteps

When Wednesday's workout wrapped up, Stephen Zimmerman saw a familiar face. Pacers forward Myles Turner was one of a handful of players who put up shots on the practice court after the conclusion of the workout.

Zimmerman and Turner are good friends. They were two of the featured post players on the USA Basketball team that won a gold medal at the 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championships. Zimmerman even worked out with Turner in Las Vegas last summer as he prepared for the NBA Draft.

"He's obviously a great player and everything," Zimmerman said about Turner. "I'm young and compared to him. We've played together a lot so that's one of the guys I look up to."

Now it is Zimmerman's turn to prepare for the draft. Like Turner, he elected to turn pro after just one season in college. The 19-year-old averaged 10.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game for UNLV.

A 7-foot center, Zimmerman has a lot of similarities to Turner in his offensive repertoire. He's pretty mobile and has a solid shooting stroke for a big man. Though he attempted just 16 3-pointers in college, he figures to eventually be able to stretch his left-handed shot out to the NBA 3-point line.

Zimmerman will hear his name called at some point on draft night, the only question is when. A few recent mock drafts had him going to the Pacers with the 20th overall pick, but other projections don't have him going until the middle of the second round.

Zimmerman is likely facing questions about his physical profile. He needs to put on weight, something he admitted on Wednesday, but that shouldn't be a problem as he grows into his body over the next few years.

There are, however, a few medical concerns with Zimmerman. He dealt with a knee injury this season at UNLV. He also has a childhood injury that prevents him from fully extending his right arm (his off-hand), though it doesn't appear to have a profound impact on his game. Doctor evaluations might be what make or break his chances of going in the first round.

From Belgium to the NBA? Obasohan Living the Dream

Arguably no player appreciated the opportunity to work out for an NBA team on Wednesday more than former Alabama guard Retin Obasohan. Originally from Antwerp, Belgium, Obasohan left his home country five years ago, moving to Tuscaloosa, Ala., hoping it would give him a better chance of eventually making it to the NBA.

"I just wanted to chase that dream," Obasohan said. "As a young kid, I always believed in myself, I always figured I wanted to be the best. In order to be the best, you've got to play in the NBA. That had always been my dream and I figured that the college route was the best way to do that."

Obasohan was a role player in his first three seasons with the Crimson Tide, but he made a huge leap as a senior. The 6-1 guard increased his scoring average by 11.4 points per game to 17.6 and earned first-team All-SEC honors. He gives a lot of the credit to new head coach Avery Johnson, a 16-year NBA veteran.

"It's hard to put into words because people like him, his influence transcends beyond basketball," Obasohan said. "He teaches you the game of basketball to a level you've never seen it before, but at the same time, the lessons that he teaches us go far beyond basketball."

Given his size, Obasohan's best fit would likely be as a point guard at the next level. However, he wasn't a great distributor in college.

While he doesn't have a ton of height, Obasohan does have a stocky frame that actually had football-crazed Alabama fans asking him if he'd consider a career on the gridiron. He isn't doing that, but his size could also serve him well on the hardwood at the next level.

"I'll compete day in, day out," Obasohan said. "I have a big frame, I'm athletic, I can guard multiple positions. So I think from day one I can wreak havoc on defense."

Watch one-on-one interviews with all six prospects from Wednesday's pre-draft workout in the video player below.

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VanVleet Ready to Prove Doubters Wrong Once Again

indmmontieth

This is how NBA team presidents earn their money. And lose their jobs.

A guy like Thon Maker comes into the draft, all 19 years and 7-feet-1 of him, full of mystery, intrigue and potential, seemingly as likely to be a superstar as a bust. What do you do about a guy like that?

Take him high in the first round, you could wind up looking like the executives who drafted other foreign centers who beamed with promise – guys like Darko Milicic, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Hasheem Thabeet, Frederic Weis and Yinka Dare.

Don't draft him, and you might never live down the time you passed on the next Kevin Garnett.

Maker was among six players working out on the practice court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday, and was easily the focus of attention. He was matched up against UNLV's Stephen Zimmerman, another 19-year-old center. The other four players – Jake Layman (Maryland), Retin Obasohan (Alabama), Shanvon Shields (Nebraska) and Fred VanVleet (Wichita State) – are regarded as late second-round picks or players unlikely to be drafted.

Maker stands as one of the biggest wild cards in the draft. Most mock drafts have him going late in the first round, after the 20th pick owned by the Pacers, or even in the second round. But as he makes the tour of pre-draft workouts and teams get a first-hand look at his size, shooting ability, footwork and blatant youth, it's not difficult to imagine him capturing the fancy of a team with a mid-first-round pick.

Who wouldn't want a legitimate 7-footer with a 36-inch vertical jump who has the footwork of a kid who grew up playing soccer, has the 3-point shooting stroke of a guard, shows impressive passing and shot-blocking instincts for someone who didn't begin playing until he was 13 years old, is mature well beyond his years, and displays an impressive work ethic?

"I knew my work ethic would help push me up," Maker said Wednesday while explaining his decision to enter the draft, rather than attend college. "I'm getting better and better and better. I'm always getting better and better and better. You can always use better."

It's Maker's potential that makes him dangerous – both to future opponents and current team presidents. It's obvious, but hardly guaranteed to be fulfilled. No doubt Milicic, Thabeet, Dare and the other "busts" looked great in pre-draft workouts as well. He will be easy to judge in hindsight, about five years from now. For now, he's a question mark who's shaped like an exclamation point.

He models himself after future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett, saying, "I'm a modern version of what he was." But who's to say he won't wind up being more like Shawn Bradley? Or less?

It's appropriate that Maker would be all over the map in pre-draft evaluations, because quite literally his life has been all over the map. He was born in Sudan in Africa, sent to Uganda at age five to escape a civil war, and then to Australia, where he became exposed to the NBA and connected with a basketball coach. He attended school in Louisiana, Virginia and Ontario, Canada. Rated a five-star recruit, he was considering Arizona State, Kansas, Indiana, Notre Dame and St. John's before learning he would be eligible for this year's draft.

RELATED: VanVleet Ready to Prove Doubters Wrong Once Again »

"When I started (playing), I started at 100 percent to be a pro," he said. "It was a dream, so I'm glad I got the opportunity."

Maker has the look of a classic stretch four, a 7-footer who can drain 3-pointers. He's similar to Myles Turner, whom the Pacers took last season with the 11th pick, but isn't nearly as strong as Turner. The idea of having two 7-footers who can run the floor, drain shots from the perimeter and protect the rim might be appealing to the Pacers. Then again, it's not like there aren't other promising players in the draft.

Maker knows he has to get stronger to compete in the NBA. He also knows he will.

"I have time," he said. "Over the years, I've gradually put on weight and gotten stronger. I've always done it the right way, put on weight the right way. I have to be able to hold on to that weight. We're taking our time. In the NBA I'm pretty sure it will be much easier to get stronger, with more resources and good trainers who have seen it all. I'm just waiting to get in the door and then get to work right away."

He also knows he'll need a complete skill-set to fit the modern game. The media members who attended Wednesday's workout were only allowed to watch him shoot after practice, but he reportedly showed deft passing skills and a willingness to compete earlier in the workout.

"Over here, kids sometimes are taught to do ballhandling and be selfish," he said. "I was taught the international game, to pass and cut, shoot, dribble, whatever ... just play the game the right way."

He does indeed seem to have grasped the nuances. Asked if he's struggling with performing anything he's been asked to do in the pre-draft workouts, he thought for eight seconds, then asked for a clarification of the question. He paused for six more before coming up with something.

"I think I hold my screens too long," he said.

He pointed out that his knees stick out, and defenders have to take a wider path around them when he's setting screens, which delays his cut to the basket.

"I try to set a wide screen, and I told it too long," he said. "By that time the ballhandler is in the paint and waiting on me to throw a lob. I have to find a way to set it hard and get out quick."

All right, then. If that's truly the greatest of his concerns, he's going to make some team president look like a genius on draft night. And another few look foolish.

Have a question for Mark? Want it to be on Pacers.com? Email him at askmontieth@gmail.com and you could be featured in his next mailbag.

Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.

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Is Maker an Exclamation Point or a Question Mark?

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Height: 7-1
Weight: 216
Position: PF
School: Athlete Institute Basketball Academy High School
Age: 19

Thon Maker

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Thon Maker: 2016 Draft Prospect