Foreign Coach Reveals! The Best Big Import Option for Guangdong Emerges, with 2.13m Tough Center Thon Maker as Top Choice?

The highly anticipated CBA offseason is still underway, and recent news about powerhouse Guangdong's search for a big import player has attracted fans' attention. So far, Guangdong has not announced any substantial big import signing. However, the team has been linked with quality foreign players such as Reese and Maker. According to fan reports, Guangdong's new foreign coach Yakovlevich has indicated that the team already has a suitable big import candidate. Many fans believe Guangdong may aggressively pursue former Fujian big import Thon Maker. This is because Maker has already ended his contract with a Saudi league team and is highly likely to return to the CBA next season.

It is well known that Guangdong's new coach Yakovlevich pursues an extreme emphasis on spacing and a fast-paced style, and this European tactical philosophy needs an interior player like Maker who can stretch the floor. Therefore, many fans predict that the 2.13-meter Australian national team center with a wingspan exceeding 2.21 meters will become Guangdong's primary candidate for the big import position next season. Especially with talented center Xu Xin not having returned, a quality big import could be the final piece for Guangdong's pursuit of a CBA championship. For Guangdong, which has just completed an interior rebuild, the current center position is being supported by Jiao Boqiao alone. Especially after Wang Shaojie departed, the newly added Yang Tengfei and Zhou Peng are primarily power forward-style players.

Therefore, Guangdong not only needs a center with the required height and wingspan for its big import role, but also one with the ability to create spacing. As a familiar player who has already proven his value in the CBA, Maker would be an ideal choice for Guangdong. In fact, Maker's technical characteristics have already been fully demonstrated in the CBA. According to statistics, during his time with Fujian, Thon Maker averaged a double-double of 16.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, with a three-point shooting percentage as high as 38.8%. Although Fujian was unable to maximize Maker's strengths, his combination of rim protection, switching ability, and perimeter shooting has attracted interest from multiple CBA teams.

From a playing-style perspective, Maker perfectly fits Guangdong's new foreign coach Yakovlevich's European tactical system focused on spacing and pace. His outside shooting ability can effectively create offensive space, while his rim protection and switching abilities can provide a defensive floor for the team. In addition, Maker's individual salary contract offers strong value for money. Unless unexpected circumstances occur, Maker's current market contract value is still below $1 million, much lower than players such as Salinger and Quinn last season. Within Guangdong's foreign player reinforcement budget, a CBA veteran like Maker not only provides a high level of reliability, but is also considered unlikely to have issues adapting to the intensity and pace of the CBA.

In summary, after Guangdong moved on from last season's two big imports Salinger and Rakocevic, the team now needs a new center who can both protect the rim and stretch the floor. Among the potential big import candidates, Thon Maker, who has already proven himself in the CBA, is clearly considered the most suitable 'tough and physical' center option for Guangdong.