Father's Day weekend has come and gone, and the calendar will flip to July in just ten days. In the past, outgoing high school seniors had already decided in the spring where they would take the next steps of their lives.
But times are changing in the world of basketball. The new reclassification and G-League rules, and not to mention the blanket of uncertainty that COVID-19 has cast, have made this the most unpredictable summer in memory. Two players in Rivals Class of 2020 still are up in the air on where they will be in September. Moussa Cisse and Makur Maker have yet to make decisions. Cisse has Kentucky is his list of finalists, but it is common knowledge that Maker could be essential to Kentucky's near future.
If the seven-footer chooses a college it will be between Kentucky, UCLA, and Howard. But he has declared for the NBA Draft and is still on the fence on whether he will withdraw. The date to make that decision was moved back this past weekend until October 6.
In a nutshell, Maker and his guardian, Edward Smith, have some big decisions on the horizon. Smith spoke with Cats Illustrated Sunday afternoon on where things stand, and how the recent NBA decision impacts the five-star talent.
Q: Ed, what are your feelings on the new NBA rule moving the withdrawal deadline to October 6?
Smith: "It doesn't really change anything, because if you haven't enrolled in college by then, you're out of the loop of playing college ball. So you have to make a decision before then. I've heard they may have a combine in August. There's a rumor of a combine after the first group of teams leave from Orlando. What I read on ESPN from Brian Windhorst was that they may be bringing some guys in for the combine so the teams can get a look. So that gives you a better since of what is going on. That's our thing for them to evaluate him. Maybe it's a physical workout, because a lot of people have a narrative out there as a seven-foot point guard. You see that all of the time. You have to see what he does and actually how he plays and how he can play.
I even had a watch on your podcast (Sources Say), and I guess it's what we've always battled. A lot of guys who are from the outside in, and we're not blaming anybody, the writers and so forth; if I were to send you some clips of him working out against Thon in the post, you would be like 'oh, s***!"
Q: I understand that, but from my standpoint when I watched him in Birmingham he was out on the perimeter the whole time and playing the point, so we never had the opportunity to see that part of his game if that makes sense.
Smith: "What happens is this. There is a lost art of post passing, and you're not going to get the ball down low if you play (AAU). You're not touching the ball, so you have to work on different skills. Otherwise you would just track from block to block and the guys say I'll get it to you next time. So you can use AAU to get better in other areas. If you look at Nikola Jokic, you say you should get your big ass down low, right? He's facilitating, but how did he learn to facilitate? That's why you see Americans losing so many jobs. Some times you have to look at the power curve and stay ahead of the trends. If you go to college you need to now how to play the college game. We work on a lot of post work, so you have to be ready for that."
Q: I thought it was interesting that you said the new withdrawal date really didn't change anything. Elaborate on that a little bit. You're basing that making the college part of that decision by August, right?
Smith: "You have to, because you have to enroll and have the paperwork in. It's similar to Jamal (Murray). He came in August. I was there within that situation. We were at Orangeville Prep together. He came in August, so it's a similar situation where you're a late recruitment. You have to make that decision by then."
Q: When we talked before we didn't know what was going to happen. Let's say they do have a combine or even if they don't, what do you need to hear from them to make you say I think we'll go the pro route?
Smith: "A team concept and the team says the following, 'You're going to come in. We can see you doing the following. You may have to do thirty games in the G-League and come up mid-season. They have a plan in place for you. it's a team that sees you as a first round talent, and when I say first round I mean into the early second. Because if you're the thirty-first pick you're basically a first round pick. So if you're in that situation where they have a solid plan for you and they say this is where we're going, because these guys are straight. Some teams will reach out and say we see you doing thirty games in the G-League and then come up, and we can develop you from there. It makes good sense if it's a good organization, because sometimes it's just a good organizational fit. So now you can see this as a plan and a pathway.
One thing we do know for a fact, if he does end up going he's going to do like all of these guys. You're going to do some type of time in the G-League. The G-League is not how it used to be before. It's a development path. But if you're going there and they say you're just going to be there for a whole year and we'll see how it goes, and we need to see more of you from the college perspective. Hey, you're off to college for a year where you are really confident of who you are and what you can give to the team. I heard from these coaches and I know a lot of them who have recruited him. They understand who he is, and see him in different spaces."
Q: Let's say he is projected later in the second round, and he doesn't get guaranteed money. It sounds to me like if an organization has a plan for him that is more important to you guys than the guaranteed money. Am I reading that right?
Smith: "It's a combination of both. The first thing you want in the league is fit. You want a plan, and a place where people have done this before. It's almost like you're going there, I'm going to a team where I'm not just going to be stuck and waste it just because they are going to give someone who went to college much more of an opportunity. If that's the case you can go to college. If these guys say we like you a lot, and we've heard teams that like him a lot. Sometimes there are things you might see in the media, and you will see where basketball people who are in a high position will understand. I'm not knocking media guys. Sometimes you read some media things and you are like these guys are dealing with you from a different perspective. When you have a kid like that who is on the edge of a lottery talent, but they need to see more, so that's where the college part comes in."
Q: If you decide on the college route and it is August, that leaves a small window and not a lot of time. Do you feel good about choosing the college Makur would go to in that short amount of time before school starts?
Smith: "Yeah, at that stage everybody has settled in. You know who is coming back and who is going. You know what the opportunity is like. You know if you have good guard play. That's going to be important, and things like the composition of the team. If a team wins, everybody wins if you understand basketball. KP (Kenny Payne) and I were talking about AD (Anthony Davis) in the National Championship game and what he did. He controlled a certain area and said, 'Listen, I'm going to defend, and rebound, and help you guys win. I will take care of that. You guys take care of the rest. Don't worry about me.' You've got to get to the stage with where you comfortable with what it takes to win the game, and that helps. At the end of the day these kids want to get to the top and have the best opportunity that they can."
Q: At Kentucky with what you're looking at, would it depend on what the NCAA decides on Olivier Sarr?
Smith: "I think from what I've seen, and I've seen him play, there is a compliment factor. I think Makur's ability as a passer, and being able to play that big on big game. They would help each other. I think Makur's ability to switch a little bit more defensively allows them to have an anchor the defense with a big that can switch. They have a really mobile big if they are playing small ball. They have a guy out there who can stay big on the floor. You don't want to have two bigs who are not extremely athletic laterally. Makur is. laterally athletic, so he can switch on pick and rolls, and you can keep him on the floor in small ball. You can go really big which gives you an advantage on the offensive end by crashing the offensive boards with put-backs. If you're playing two bigs they both have the ability to duck in, so it makes each other's job easier. I think it's a complimentary situation. Now you have big guards also in Terrance Clarke and B.J. Boston. You're a big team. I mean you are now a tremendously big team, a physically big team."
But times are changing in the world of basketball. The new reclassification and G-League rules, and not to mention the blanket of uncertainty that COVID-19 has cast, have made this the most unpredictable summer in memory. Two players in Rivals Class of 2020 still are up in the air on where they will be in September. Moussa Cisse and Makur Maker have yet to make decisions. Cisse has Kentucky is his list of finalists, but it is common knowledge that Maker could be essential to Kentucky's near future.
If the seven-footer chooses a college it will be between Kentucky, UCLA, and Howard. But he has declared for the NBA Draft and is still on the fence on whether he will withdraw. The date to make that decision was moved back this past weekend until October 6.
In a nutshell, Maker and his guardian, Edward Smith, have some big decisions on the horizon. Smith spoke with Cats Illustrated Sunday afternoon on where things stand, and how the recent NBA decision impacts the five-star talent.
Q: Ed, what are your feelings on the new NBA rule moving the withdrawal deadline to October 6?
Smith: "It doesn't really change anything, because if you haven't enrolled in college by then, you're out of the loop of playing college ball. So you have to make a decision before then. I've heard they may have a combine in August. There's a rumor of a combine after the first group of teams leave from Orlando. What I read on ESPN from Brian Windhorst was that they may be bringing some guys in for the combine so the teams can get a look. So that gives you a better since of what is going on. That's our thing for them to evaluate him. Maybe it's a physical workout, because a lot of people have a narrative out there as a seven-foot point guard. You see that all of the time. You have to see what he does and actually how he plays and how he can play.
I even had a watch on your podcast (Sources Say), and I guess it's what we've always battled. A lot of guys who are from the outside in, and we're not blaming anybody, the writers and so forth; if I were to send you some clips of him working out against Thon in the post, you would be like 'oh, s***!"
Q: I understand that, but from my standpoint when I watched him in Birmingham he was out on the perimeter the whole time and playing the point, so we never had the opportunity to see that part of his game if that makes sense.
Smith: "What happens is this. There is a lost art of post passing, and you're not going to get the ball down low if you play (AAU). You're not touching the ball, so you have to work on different skills. Otherwise you would just track from block to block and the guys say I'll get it to you next time. So you can use AAU to get better in other areas. If you look at Nikola Jokic, you say you should get your big ass down low, right? He's facilitating, but how did he learn to facilitate? That's why you see Americans losing so many jobs. Some times you have to look at the power curve and stay ahead of the trends. If you go to college you need to now how to play the college game. We work on a lot of post work, so you have to be ready for that."
Q: I thought it was interesting that you said the new withdrawal date really didn't change anything. Elaborate on that a little bit. You're basing that making the college part of that decision by August, right?
Smith: "You have to, because you have to enroll and have the paperwork in. It's similar to Jamal (Murray). He came in August. I was there within that situation. We were at Orangeville Prep together. He came in August, so it's a similar situation where you're a late recruitment. You have to make that decision by then."
Q: When we talked before we didn't know what was going to happen. Let's say they do have a combine or even if they don't, what do you need to hear from them to make you say I think we'll go the pro route?
Smith: "A team concept and the team says the following, 'You're going to come in. We can see you doing the following. You may have to do thirty games in the G-League and come up mid-season. They have a plan in place for you. it's a team that sees you as a first round talent, and when I say first round I mean into the early second. Because if you're the thirty-first pick you're basically a first round pick. So if you're in that situation where they have a solid plan for you and they say this is where we're going, because these guys are straight. Some teams will reach out and say we see you doing thirty games in the G-League and then come up, and we can develop you from there. It makes good sense if it's a good organization, because sometimes it's just a good organizational fit. So now you can see this as a plan and a pathway.
One thing we do know for a fact, if he does end up going he's going to do like all of these guys. You're going to do some type of time in the G-League. The G-League is not how it used to be before. It's a development path. But if you're going there and they say you're just going to be there for a whole year and we'll see how it goes, and we need to see more of you from the college perspective. Hey, you're off to college for a year where you are really confident of who you are and what you can give to the team. I heard from these coaches and I know a lot of them who have recruited him. They understand who he is, and see him in different spaces."
Q: Let's say he is projected later in the second round, and he doesn't get guaranteed money. It sounds to me like if an organization has a plan for him that is more important to you guys than the guaranteed money. Am I reading that right?
Smith: "It's a combination of both. The first thing you want in the league is fit. You want a plan, and a place where people have done this before. It's almost like you're going there, I'm going to a team where I'm not just going to be stuck and waste it just because they are going to give someone who went to college much more of an opportunity. If that's the case you can go to college. If these guys say we like you a lot, and we've heard teams that like him a lot. Sometimes there are things you might see in the media, and you will see where basketball people who are in a high position will understand. I'm not knocking media guys. Sometimes you read some media things and you are like these guys are dealing with you from a different perspective. When you have a kid like that who is on the edge of a lottery talent, but they need to see more, so that's where the college part comes in."
Q: If you decide on the college route and it is August, that leaves a small window and not a lot of time. Do you feel good about choosing the college Makur would go to in that short amount of time before school starts?
Smith: "Yeah, at that stage everybody has settled in. You know who is coming back and who is going. You know what the opportunity is like. You know if you have good guard play. That's going to be important, and things like the composition of the team. If a team wins, everybody wins if you understand basketball. KP (Kenny Payne) and I were talking about AD (Anthony Davis) in the National Championship game and what he did. He controlled a certain area and said, 'Listen, I'm going to defend, and rebound, and help you guys win. I will take care of that. You guys take care of the rest. Don't worry about me.' You've got to get to the stage with where you comfortable with what it takes to win the game, and that helps. At the end of the day these kids want to get to the top and have the best opportunity that they can."
Q: At Kentucky with what you're looking at, would it depend on what the NCAA decides on Olivier Sarr?
Smith: "I think from what I've seen, and I've seen him play, there is a compliment factor. I think Makur's ability as a passer, and being able to play that big on big game. They would help each other. I think Makur's ability to switch a little bit more defensively allows them to have an anchor the defense with a big that can switch. They have a really mobile big if they are playing small ball. They have a guy out there who can stay big on the floor. You don't want to have two bigs who are not extremely athletic laterally. Makur is. laterally athletic, so he can switch on pick and rolls, and you can keep him on the floor in small ball. You can go really big which gives you an advantage on the offensive end by crashing the offensive boards with put-backs. If you're playing two bigs they both have the ability to duck in, so it makes each other's job easier. I think it's a complimentary situation. Now you have big guards also in Terrance Clarke and B.J. Boston. You're a big team. I mean you are now a tremendously big team, a physically big team."
