Thon Maker
July 17, 2021
Matur Maker
- Nationality: AUS/SSD
- Date of Birth: 1/01/98
- Place of Birth: Perth, WA
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 208
- Weight (KG): 95
- Junior Assoc:
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 11/12/21
- AGE AT DEBUT: 23
- LAST NBL GAME: 21/04/22
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 24
- NBL History: Sydney 2022
- Championships: 1
- Sydney (2022)
BIO: Maker was born in what is now known as South Sudan on 1 January 1998 with his older brother Thon Maker. In Matur’s early childhood, his uncle, a local administrator, helped the family flee to Uganda amid a civil war in their home country. They then settled in Perth, Western Australia as refugees when Maker was four years of age but continued making occasional visits to South Sudan.
After his brother Thon, at age 13, was discovered by basketball scout Edward Smith the family moved to Sydney, before moving to the United States.
Matur later joined his brother in high school and Smith eventually became their legal guardian.
Maker began playing high school basketball as a freshman at Carlisle School in Martinsville, Virginia, where he joined Thon, a sophomore, in the middle of the season. His guardian Edward Smith, who the brothers lived with in a two-story house, was a assistant coach for the team at the time. According to Smith, Matur’s arrival at Carlisle helped Thon better acclimate to the United States. During his freshman season, Matur was considered one of the best high school players in the country at the small forward position. He helped Carlisle win a state championship and played with Team Loaded VA of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).
For his sophomore year, Maker transferred from Carlisle, with Hopewell Academy in Cary, North Carolina and Orangeville Prep in Orangeville, Ontario as potential destinations. In September 2014, Maker and his brother enrolled at Orangeville Prep, where they played under head coach Larry Blunt and with fellow top prospect Jamal Murray. He was named Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) second-team all-star.
In 2016/17, Maker moved to The Tech Academy in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where he was coached by his guardian Edward Smith and became teammates with cousin Makur Makur. With the Milwaukee Bucks having selected Thon at the 2016 NBA draft, the transfer allowed Matur to live closer to his brother.
In April 2017, Maker competed in the BioSteel All-Canadian Basketball Game in Toronto, where he was named most valuable player. In the game, he recorded 25 points and six rebounds, shooting 8-of-11 from the field, playing only 12 minutes. At a adidas Nations event in August, he averaged 26 points and seven rebounds for the Asia Pacific team.
Maker played a postgraduate season of basketball at Mississauga Prep in Mississauga, Ontario for 2017/18. By 2018, he was averaging 25.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.7 steals. On 5 January 2018, Maker declared intentions to bypass college and enter the 2018 NBA draft, attempting to follow a similar path as his brother in 2016. He drew attention from scouts on 11 January, when he notched 45 points, 20 rebounds, two blocks, and three steals in a 95–85 defeat to GTA Prep. However, due to a lack of attention on his name during the 2018 NBA Draft process, he withdrew his name from the 2018 NBA draft on the 11 June international deadline.
FAMILY: Matur’s brother, Thon Maker also played 0 games in the NBL. He is the younger brother of NBA player Thon Maker and the cousin of basketball player Makur Maker.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Matur Maker made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 23 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
Maker would see limited minutes during the 2021/22 season averaging 1.9 points and 2.1 rebounds as a rookie. The Kings meanwhile finished the year in spectacular fashion, winning 13 consecutive games to end the regular season.
The Kings would defeat the Illawarra Hawks in the semifinals and then the Tasmania JackJumpers to end their 17-year championship drought in front of 16,000 fans at Qudos Bank Arena.
17 years in the making ????????#WeTheKings #NBL22 pic.twitter.com/Wz7uIGjTr6
— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) May 14, 2022
”
Matur Maker played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 14 NBL games.
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 24 | Sydney | 19-9 (3) | 14 | 94.0 | 26 | 30 | 5 | 6 | 24 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 27 | 26% | 2 | 13 | 15% | 10 | 14 | 71% | 39% | 30% | 6 | Totals | 14 | 94 | 26 | 30 | 5 | 6 | 24 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 27 | 25.9% | 2 | 13 | 15.4% | 10 | 14 | 71.4% | 39% | 30% | 6 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 24 | Sydney | 19-9 (3) | 14 | 6.7 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 26% | 0.1 | 0.9 | 15% | 0.7 | 1.0 | 71% | 39% | 30% | 6 | Total | 14 | 6.7 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 25.9% | 0.0 | 15.4% | 0.1 | 0.9 | 71.4% | 39% | 30% | 6 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Rockhampton 2024
Alley-oop dunk off the glass by Matur Maker ????
— NBL1 (@NBL1) June 16, 2024
Watch NBL1 North via https://t.co/NEk1I7kaV8 or the NBL1 App ???? & ???? pic.twitter.com/E2q71DSkdy
NBA EXPERIENCE
On 19 October 2019, Maker signed with the Houston Rockets of the NBA, but was waived the next day. Following this, Maker was added to the roster of the Rockets NBA G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Switzerland - Union Neuchâtel (2018) | Slovenia - Zlatorog Laško (2018–2019) | New Zealand - Canterbury (2022) |
On 7 August 2018, Maker signed with Union Neuchâtel of the Swiss Basketball League. Through he played in only four appearances, he averaged 5.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 13.9 minutes. He then moved to Slovenia to play with Zlatorog Laško where he played the last 17 games of the Slovenian Basketball League season. He averaged 13ppg, 10 rpg and lead his team to the playoffs.
On 20 May 2022, Maker signed with the Canterbury Rams for the rest of the 2022 New Zealand NBL season. He averaged 11.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1 assists across 3 games.
Related
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