Milwaukee Bucks: 5 Key Takeaways From Summer League

Thon Maker’s Desire

Much of what had been advertized about Thon Maker in the run up to the draft was proven to be true in Las Vegas.

He’s a long and fluid athlete who gets up and down the court with remarkable ease. Maker is capable of knocking down jump shots but he’s still searching for any real consistency in that department. Although there are certainly ways in which he could make better use of his long frame, the 19-year-old has good shot-blocking instincts. In terms of strength, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done for Maker to hold his own inside.

There was no guarantee that Maker would perform as well as he did in some of his Summer League performances but many of the ways in which he managed to impress weren’t overly surprising.

Aside from those skills, the Sudanese native’s work ethic had become almost infamous since his pre-draft workouts. As important as that trait is in an NBA player, it doesn’t always necessarily translate in games. In fact, even when a player gets commended for their work rate in-game, it’s likely more a result of desire than anything else.

What Maker managed to show in Vegas is just how much he wants to be great. That hunger could lead him to have a bigger role in Milwaukee’s rotation than most would have anticipated this year but it will also set up some of his bigger rookie mistakes.

Maker is going to gamble. He’s going to press so hard for wins that it will occasionally cloud his judgement and be to the detriment of his team.

The positives of that come in blocks from the weak side and high energy offensive rebounds, something which he left plenty of examples of from the five games he played in Vegas.

Away from those highlights, there’ll be plays where he looks horribly exposed though, particularly on defense. Maker isn’t as bad defensively as a lot of people seemed to be quick to decry over the past week, but his decision-making can be highly questionable.

That presents an interesting challenge for the Bucks. Maker’s drive is what got him to this point and what gives him to potential to be something special. Finding a way for him to balance his risks will be a learning process. If Maker can become more disciplined in terms of his choices, he’ll contribute sooner rather than later.

Next: Malcolm Brogdon