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Milwaukee Bucks: How Will The Bench Look?

By Lukas Harkins

Dec 7, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) and guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) celebrate following a basket during the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 90-88. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 7, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) and guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) celebrate following a basket during the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 90-88. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Thon Maker walks to the stage after being selected as the number ten overall pick to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Thon Maker

The selection of Thon Maker 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks this last summer shows that they are continuing to roll with their “Own the Future” theme. In the last four years, the Bucks have selected four first rounders with a total of two years of collegiate play.

Maker was not originally seen as a top-10 pick entering the draft, but that is exactly what the Bucks did. Maker has a tremendous personality and plenty of upside. With the Bucks’ recent success story of Giannis Antetokounmpo, teams around the league should start getting fearful of a lineup containing fully developed Maker and Giannis.

Strengths

Not too much of Maker’s game is known at this point, but he is 7’1″, which presents an extreme height advantage. This height, taken with the fact that he has a smooth jump shot that could extend to three-point range, makes him a potentially deadly player.

It will be interesting to see how many NBA minutes he receives from Coach Kidd this season, but it will probably end up somewhere around 10 per game.

Rashad Vaughn received 15 minutes per game last season at a position of need. So, with plenty of solid contributors at the power forward and center positions, Maker will end up with fewer opportunities. Still, if he can make the most of his time while on the floor, his minutes will surely increase.

A lot of his strengths will come along as he develops, but for now his biggest strength is youth.

Weaknesses

And although Maker’s age is a strength moving forward, it is a weakness for this season. He doesn’t have the basketball experience that the players around him have. Maker is entering a league that is completely different from anything he has ever played in. Along with that, he needs to spend a lot of his time in the gym adding muscle.

Maker was all over the floor in the Summer League, grabbing rebounds and hustling, but by adding strength, he can truly become a tremendous rebounder. When matched up against a bruising back-to-the-basket big man, Maker will struggle to defend them this season. He has a lot to learn, and he has to be ready to take it all in.

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