Former draft bust making NBA comeback with West playoff hopeful

Feb 18, 2023; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; The NBA logo on the court at Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets have decided to kick the tires on a blast from the past.

Houston announced on Tuesday that they have signed free agent center Thon Maker. Kelly Iko of The Athletic adds that it is an Exhibit 10 deal for Maker with Houston.

Now 27, the seven-footer Maker is a former No. 1 prospect who was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. While he was drafted over future All-Stars such as Domantas Sabonis, Pascal Siakam, and Dejounte Murray, Maker never developed properly at the NBA level. Despite some basketball greats saying that Maker would win an MVP award some day, he averaged just 4.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game over his five seasons in the NBA (with Milwaukee, Detroit, and Cleveland).

Maker has been out of the league since the 2020-21 season and had mainly spent the last few years playing overseas in China, Jerusalem, and Lebanon. But Maker is still young enough to have a career renaissance and will try for one on a Rockets team that features center trio Alperen Sengun, Steven Adams, and Jock Landale (none of whom are true seven-footers).