Thon Maker took to Twitter today to let it be known that he still harbours dreams of playing in the green and gold for Australia.
This week the Boomers reduced the Olympic squad from 24 to 19 and among those excluded was Thon Maker.
It’s since become clear that Maker was in fact invited to the Boomers selection camp in Las Vegas but chose to spend that time focusing on returning to the NBA.
Obviously I’d love to be playing for our country right now but I have to make this difficult decision to focus on my career and not play in the #Olympics. That said, I’ll be supporting our guys and will be there in spirit as we take home the gold. #GoBoomers 🇦🇺
— Thon Maker ™ (@ThonMaker14) June 17, 2021
Those invited to Las Vegas for the Boomers selection camp will compete for the final 12 spots on the team and take part in a number of pre-Olympic warm-up games prior to the Olympics.
Maker has been searching for a new NBA home since being axed by the Cleveland Cavaliers in January. Maker played 8 games for Cleveland, averaging 4 points and 2 rebounds in 10 minutes per game.
Maker was waived to make way for the signing of Jarrett Allen in Cleveland and with all 30 teams having completed their rosters by that point was unable to find a spot on another NBA team.
The 24-year-old who was initially on the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to Detroit during the 2018-19 season has shown some flashes of potential in his career to this point. He’s had multiple 20 point games for the Bucks and notched up a 19 point, 7 rebound game against Oklahoma City whilst at Detroit just prior to being traded but being out of the league for a year means this off-season is crucial for Maker’s chances to remain on NBA radars.
Despite the loss of Maker Goorjian has said he has a squad capable of taking out gold in Tokyo.
“Having so many talented players is fantastic but it will certainly make for a challenging selection process,” he said.
“The fact that a number of first-time aspiring Boomers are pushing for selection to the ultimate international stage is testimony to the great depth of talent in Australian basketball.
“It will be great to have the group together to push each other, the focus of our experienced Olympians has been unbelievable and we won’t shy away from the fact that we are chasing gold in Tokyo.”
The Boomers’ 19-man Olympics squad includes Aron Baynes, Ryan Broekhoff, Xavier Cooks, Mitchell Creek, Matthew Dellavedova, Dante Exum, Joshua Giddey, Christopher Goulding, Josh Green, Isaac Humphries, Joe Ingles, Nicholas Kay, Jock Landale, Patty Mills, Brock Motum, Duop Reath, Ben Simmons, Nathan Sobey, Matisse Thybulle.