The Buck Stops Here Roundtable #2: Draft Reactions, Free Agency Expectations

What sort of expectations should Bucks fans have for Thon Maker? Will he be a rotation player next season, as John Hammond has suggested?

TP: I do think Thon can contribute next season. I see him filling the role of energy big man next year. Thon indisputably has a high motor and above average athleticism for a seven footer.

If they put him on the floor with a limited mandate, something like attack the glass, try to block shots and set screens, I don’t know why he couldn’t bring much of what Miles Plumlee did last year. Development in practice, limited role in games.

AM: The actual quote from Hammond was that he hopes for him to be at worst a rotation player within the next couple of years, it was originally reported out of context.

I think that’s a safe baseline too. At present the best thing that Bucks fans can do is to make their expectations as low as possible. He’s going to need time to adjust, develop and make mistakes.

This shouldn’t be an unfamiliar concept for Bucks fans, but if we just assume that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong, it’ll leave us open to the possibility of being very pleasantly surprised.

There’s no real need to put expectations on him as of yet.

TWindisch: I’m hoping Thon gets some playing time as early as next season. As smart as it is to not rush such a project player, I’m impatient to see the Milwaukee Bucks do something fun on the court after the slog that was last season.

I don’t need to see a certain number of minutes, or any sort of stat accomplishments. Just get him out there to do some dunks once in a while. Let him hit a three and block a shot every few games. Just seeing flashes of his potential is enough for now.

With the Bucks power forward rotation currently paper-thin, it’s not unrealistic to expect him to get some minutes early on.

JT: I think it’s safe to say that we should keep our expectations as low as possible with Maker, at least for next year and beyond.

Of course, I’d like to see him get a sizeable amount of playing time and hopefully making a positive impact in those minutes, but it’ll be interesting to see how the jump to the NBA will go for him, in terms of his performance.

I’m sure the coaching staff as well as the front office will have a plan in place for his development both on and off the floor, but in terms of his role, I’m not sure what to expect.

JH: Bucks fan should have zero expectations like both Jordan and Adam suggested. But people don’t do what they are supposed to do, especially sports fans.

Thon Maker has no idea what it’s like to play against elite basketball players on a regular basis. His learning curve should be steep and it should take a long time for him to overcome it.

I don’t expect him to play much this season and when he does I expect him to look out of sorts. He needs at least two years before he can make a meaningful in-game impact.

TWray: Echoing everyone’s sentiments, I think it would be unfair to place any expectations on Thon Maker for his rookie year.

As John mentioned, he’s coming to the NBA straight from Canadian high school having never (rarely) faced competition anywhere close to the elite level of the NBA. I don’t think anybody is quite sure how he’ll adjust or how long it will be before we start seeing any type of results. At the end of the day, his development is going to take time and we’re going to all need to be patient.

I doubt he plays many minutes next season, but I agree with Ti that I hope to see flashes of potential when he is on the floor.

Nevertheless, I am extremely excited to see how he fares in the Summer League.

Next: Using the 38th Pick?