“ I don’t think I’ve seen the best of him basketball yet. “, admits Adam Caporn, while describing however Tuna Maker like ” an amazing person and teammate “. The presence of this coach at the head of the Long Island Nets is the main reason why the interior has signed up with the G-League team.
Without an NBA contract in the offseason, the 10th choice of the 2016 Draft first turned to an Israeli club last summer. An experience of a few weeks without relief after which he imagined playing in Europe, even finding his Australian lands, of which he is a national.
But with the wave of ten-day contracts in the NBA, signed to supplement the workforce due to absences linked to health protocols, his eyes once again turned to the United States.
By approaching the Nets of Adam Caporn, Australian like him, the native of South Sudan had the opportunity to find a technician with whom he had evolved a few years ago, during the qualifying matches for the 2019 World Cup with the Australian selection.
A special bond with his coach
Qualifications which had been marked by a violent fight with the Philippines of which Thon Maker had been one of the protagonists. ” The famous Thon Maker kick”, the player still remembers, interviewed by Nets Daily. “From that moment, staff and players had this bond, this relationship. We turned this negative event into a positive one.“
Despite this closeness with his new coach, the former Bucks prospect still has work to do before attracting the attention of recruiters in the NBA. In eleven appearances with the Nets, he posted only 6 points and 6 rebounds on average, in 19 minutes, with 35% on shots, including 13% from afar…
” I am able to put my pride and ego aside and find ways to improve myself”assures the player who had never played in the development league so far. “Coming back to myself, being fluid in the game, not thinking too much and just playing. The biggest goal is to stick to an identity. (so if) a team asks me, I can tell them: ‘OK, here’s what you’re going to get from Thon Maker’. That’s what I’m building here.“
While waiting for this possible phone call, the one who has not walked on an NBA floor since January 2021 and a brief stint at the Cavs says he does not have ” one foot in, one foot out. I want to focus on what I’m doing right now. And whether it’s attacking every day in training, every game, the shooting session or whatever, I’m in it. Come what may, I’m here 100%.“
