Source: Top recruit Maker petitions for ’20 draft

2:55 PM ET

Makur Maker has submitted paperwork exploring his eligibility for the 2020 NBA draft, a source told ESPN.

“The NBA players association is helping Makur get eligible. We’ve submitted all the transcripts and are waiting to hear back from the league office. The NBPA thinks he will receive it. More than likely will be in this draft class,” the source said.

Makur, the No. 10 recruit in the 2020 high school class according to the ESPN 100, believes he is eligible for the 2020 draft as he will turn 19 in November, is currently in his fifth year of high school at Pacific Academy in Irvine, California, and is one year removed from his original graduating class.

The 6-foot-11 big man enrolled for his freshman year of high school in the fall of 2015 at Chaminade College Preparatory High School in West Hills, California, and was slated to graduate with his original high school class in 2019. Because Maker was two credits short of receiving a high school diploma from Orange Lutheran, where he was enrolled in California during the 2018-2019 season, he needs to petition the NBA for inclusion by submitting high school transcripts to the league office.

The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement states that “a player shall be eligible for selection” as long as he “(A) is or will be at least nineteen (19) years of age during the calendar year in which the Draft is held, and (B) at least one (1) NBA Season has elapsed since the player’s graduation from high school (or, if the player did not graduate from high school, since the graduation of the class with which the player would have graduated had he graduated from high school).”

Since he is a year removed from his original high school graduating class and turns 19 in the calendar year of the draft, as mandated by the collective bargaining agreement, he appears to have a strong case for inclusion. He will need to wait for an official decision before submitting his name for inclusion on the NBA early entry list, the deadline for which is April 26.

A number of NBA scouts have told ESPN they are planning on evaluating Maker at Pacific Academy, if authorized to do so by the league office.

Maker has taken a circuitous route to this point, being born in Kenya to South Sudanese parents, emigrating to Perth, Australia in 2001, and then moving to California in 2015. He joined his cousins Thon and Matur Maker in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and was home-schooled from 2016-2018, playing at the Tech Academy and attending showcases in the United States, including the Pangos All-American camp and Adidas Nations in August of 2017, where he first caught the eyes of NBA scouts. He moved back to California in the fall of 2018, attending Orange Lutheran before moving to Pacific Academy this past summer.

Maker rocketed up recruiting rankings with his play at Orange Lutheran last year before continuing his ascent on the Adidas AAU circuit this past spring and summer with Dream Vision, averaging 14.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and one block per game in 26 minutes per game, shooting 73% from 2-point range, 30% for 3 and 61% from the free throw line. His advanced skill-level, being capable of handling the ball in the open floor, creating his own shot from the perimeter and making jumpers both off the dribble and with his feet set, is attractive considering he stands 6-11. He is currently projected as the No. 21 prospect in the ESPN 2021 mock draft.

Maker will continue to maintain his NCAA eligibility as he explores his NBA options, having taken an official visit to Howard University just this past weekend. If deemed eligible to enter the 2020 NBA draft, he will have the option to evaluate his draft stock and withdraw his name by the early-entry deadline of June 15th.