The 2005 NBA Draft was the last time that high school basketball players were allowed to jump straight over college to the pros. A number of rules were put into place by the league as well as the NCAA to force student athletes to attend at least one year of college before entering the draft.
Some guys have gone around this rule by playing overseas professionally for one year before heading back to the States, but that can be a little too overwhelming for some young men.
However, nobody had found a loophole to jump straight from high school to the NBA again, until now.
7-foot prospect Thon Maker was cleared by the league yesterday to enter the 2016 NBA Draft, according to ESPN's Chad Ford. And he's in high school.
But how?
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The current rules state that non-international prospects must be at least 19 years of age and one year removed from high school to enter their name for possible selection. This, obviously, is why you see so many one-and-done guys in college hoops.
The 19-year old Maker had other plans. In order to abide by the rules, he completed the required schoolwork to “graduate” from high school last spring, before remaining in prep school this past year. He then declared for the draft a couple weeks ago, and because of the uniqueness of the situation, the NBA deliberated and decided to allow it.
This could be a route taken by more and more players in the future, unless the league makes a provision to prevent it. Essentially, after four years of school, guys could stay a fifth year after graduating, essentially hiding from the college game that could potentially expose weaknesses and hurt their draft stock.
If Maker's approach is successful, more players might follow in his path, which wouldn't exactly be healthy for the game. Instead of honing their skills against tough college competition, some of the country's best players could continue to easily dominate at the high school level, with scouts not getting better intel on their true abilities.
Still, this process is far from over. We'll see how teams receive this, and what they think of him at upcoming combines and workouts. At the moment, Maker is projected as a late first round pick.
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