Inside The Rockets

Rockets' Thon Maker Brings Veteran Experience

Thon Maker hopes to make some noise with the Houston Rockets in training camp.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 14, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis (11) goes to the basket while being grabbed by Cleveland Cavaliers forward Thon Maker (14) during the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images
Dec 14, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis (11) goes to the basket while being grabbed by Cleveland Cavaliers forward Thon Maker (14) during the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images / David Dermer-Imagn Images
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The Houston Rockets made a small addition to their team ahead of training camp, signing seven-footer Thon Maker to a deal.

Maker, 27, was the No. 10 overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2016 NBA Draft and was seen as an extremely raw prospect coming into the league.

Maker never lived up to the lottery pick hype as he failed to ever average more than five points per game in any season of his.

He played his first two full seasons in the league with the Bucks before being traded midway through his third year to the Detroit Pistons. Maker finished his third and played his fourth season with the Pistons before signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead of the 2020-21 campaign. He only made eight appearances with the Cavs before he was waived.

Since leaving the NBA, Maker has made a career overseas in Israel, Japan and Lebanon, but still has goals to make it back to the league. He'll have a chance with the Rockets as they have one spot available on the team, but his chances aren't very good.

It's possible that the Rockets waive him and retain his G League rights, allowing him to play with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, but he will have to do a lot of work in order to be considered for the NBA roster.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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