Thon Maker Showing Potential Against Raptors
The Milwaukee Bucks’ rookie big man continues to make the team’s future look freakishly bright.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is freakishly awesome. He recently became the fifth player in NBA history to lead his team in points (22.9 per game), rebounds (8.7), assists (5.4), steals (1.6) and blocks (1.9), while becoming the very first in history to ever rank in the top 20 in each category for a season. Being that well-rounded is insane, especially when it’s coming from a 6-foot-11 dude with crazy quickness who runs point guard and can even play/defend a little center. In his first three playoff games against the Toronto Raptors, as his Milwaukee Bucks have taken a commanding 2–1 lead, we’ve seen more evidence that Antetokounmpo is a top-10 talent who’s only on the rise. An MVP in the making.
The Bucks have more athletic studs to make their future brighter, though. And while none are on the level of Antetokounmpo, Thon Maker continues to assemble eyebrow-raising spells of play that hint at just how high his defensive potential could be someday.
Maker averaged a solid 9.9 minutes per game this season and started 34 times with a slightly higher 12.7 minutes a night to close the season. He’s gradually learning how to find his fit in the NBA in the best way: through experience. He’s had a chance to do that well with the Bucks, as they’ve looked to younger guys while maintaining an emphasis on winning, highlighted by Malcolm Brogdon’s deserving Rookie of the Year campaign. Maker has had some good moments, too, providing his energy, rebounding, a decent stroke from three (28 makes at a 37.8 percent rate for the season) and plenty of moments where he shifts his combination of startling foot speed and 7-foot-1 frame around the court in ways that are just hard to find.
To make that even better, Maker has been stepping up on the playoff stage.
He’s been making plays. In 15 minutes (still as a starter) in Game 1, Maker had four points on a neat 2-of-2 shooting, three rebounds, one steal and, best of all, three blocks. In Game 2, he had another pair of blocks. In Game 3, he was at it again, racking up 11 points, two rebounds and two assists, as the Bucks trusted him with 21 minutes in an overwhelming 104–77 victory over the Raptors. He’s been running all over the floor, demonstrating to everyone who hasn’t watched him that for all the work he still has to do, he has such a rare physical ability for his size.
So, sure, he’ll make some mistakes in terms of positioning, his offensive game needs plenty of work, he needs more strength, he won’t be creating tons of shots off the dribble anytime soon and he’s still a rookie that celebrated a shot too early to miss what could have been a key offensive rebound in the final minute of the Buck’s Game 2 loss. After doing so at such a crucial point, it should be safe to say that Maker will never make that mistake again.
However, let’s look at what’s been going well, because there’s been a lot of that for the Bucks.
Maker’s defense is jumping out the most right now. In Game 1, this coverage of Kyle Lowry was particularly impressive. Maker shot up the court to guard Lowry off a screen and smothered him like a 7-foot-1 lock-on missile all the way to the basket, forcing him to give up and pass out to Serge Ibaka:
Maker did a fantastic job against Lowry again here, this time getting a block. First, see how quickly Maker storms out from under the basket to the perimeter to make sure that Lowry doesn’t enter a ton of space off the pick-and-roll with Jonas Valanciunas. Then, Maker recognizes the drive is coming, turns and stays glued to Lowry all the way down the lane before pummeling the ball into the backboard like he’s spiking above the net in a game of volleyball:
Maker didn’t wait around to deliver more of the same. He had a stretch in the third quarter of Game 1 where he was making play after play on defense, including this steal off a DeMar DeRozan entry pass to Valanciunas. In fact, this whole possession is a perfect demonstration of Maker’s speed and agility to simply cover a huge amount of ground. Once again, he ensures DeRozan can’t go anywhere off a high screen before flying back into the paint and elevating so high with his springy legs and 7-foot-3 wingspan that he came away with an easy steal:
We saw more speed in Game 2. After almost leaning into the stands to gather a slightly wayward pass from Brogdon, Maker turned the ball over. In the ideal manner of recovery you want to see from any player, though (especially a rookie), Maker stormed down court the court and swatted a Patrick Patterson three-point attempt from behind:
To go beyond the blocks that you can see for yourself, and the fact that the Bucks have allowed 2.5 fewer points per 100 possessions when Maker has been on the floor in the playoffs (the sample size is small, but it’s all we’ve got to work with, and it reaffirms the eye test with plays like those above), the initial stats behind Maker’s defense in the paint couldn’t be better.
In the first three games, Maker has made the most of his minutes by defending more field goals at the rim than any other Buck, with 7.3 a night. The best part? He’s allowed opponents to shoot a useless 31.8 percent. Even though he’s done that for just a few games, that’s made a real impact for the Bucks’ defense.
Then, in Game 3, Maker added stuff like this poster dunk on Ibaka:
Or this smooth driving dish to Giannis to show off his fluidity and subtle awareness to avoid a tough shot and set up a teammate instead:
First and foremost, Bucks fans should feel nothing but encouraged by how well their team has played, and also how promising Maker looks this early in his career.
We’ve seen a host of possessions that hint at what he could become in the future as his skill, knowledge and strength build up. Even if he isn’t a 7-foot-1, crossover-step-back-three-point machine, it’s clear that he has the physical foundation and energy to ascend to impressive defensive heights in the not-so-distant future. The confidence he plays with and the stories of his work ethic only reinforce his exciting start, and he’s already protecting the rim and zipping around the court unlike almost any 7-footer you’ll find.
Fear The Deer, indeed.
All statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com.
