Garnett: Thon Maker will be MVP one day

Kevin Garnett sees a future MVP on the Milwaukee Bucks, and it's not the obvious candidate.

While Giannis Antetokounmpo has impressed many with his otherworldly length, versatility, and talent, Garnett believes Thon Maker has the makings to be named the league's Most Valuable Player during his career.

"Thon is going to be the MVP of the league one day," the retired superstar told Bleacher Report's Jonathan Abrams. "Mark it down. He has the bones. He has the appetite to be able to chase something like that."

Garnett, 41, has worked with both players, but sees himself in the lanky 20-year-old Bucks center.

"Thon Maker reminds me a lot of myself," he said. "He loves the game. He's a young, exuberant athlete who has a lot of tools - he has touch; he has agility; he has really good feet. He has a really good shot from three-point all the way up to 19 to 21 feet. He has very good bones, as we say."

That's some high praise coming from a surefire Hall of Famer. The Big Ticket claimed MVP honors in 2004, and was also a 15-time All-Star, 12-time All-Defensive player, and nine-time All-NBA talent over his 21 seasons. He also led the Boston Celtics to a championship and was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.

Maker, meanwhile, is in his sophomore campaign and putting up modest numbers. The former 10th overall pick is averaging 4.5 points on 37.5 percent shooting from the field and 32.3 percent from long range, and pulling down 2.2 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per game.

He's definitely a dark-horse pick, but perhaps with time and opportunity, Maker can flourish into an MVP-caliber talent.