Milwaukee Bucks: 2016-17 Exit Interview Roundup
By Adam McGee
Thon Maker
On learning how to make a defensive impact:
"“Not just the playoffs, but also throughout the whole season, I learned defensively. Ever since I first came to the NBA I’ve just learned how much ground I can cover with my length. Just by watching film from Summer League, I saw that right away. I’ve been using it on the defensive end, and it feels really good to know where I’m at at this point. This was my rookie year, and this is going to be a heck of a ride.”"
On his fit with the Bucks:
"“On draft night, people usually say they just want to go on the right team. It couldn’t have landed any more perfect than this. I don’t know, God is amazing and just does crazy things when you least expect them, and this is one of the biggest ones.”"
On whether he thought the Bucks were going to pull through in Game 6:
"“I believed so. We had some fight in us and it doesn’t take much for our unit to get motivated. The crowd was a big part of that also. Every single play they were louder and louder, and it just kept getting louder and louder. I saw at one point Toronto didn’t know what to run on the offensive end because the crowd just kept getting loud at them. I thought last night was a testament to the kind of fight we have in us as a unit.”"
On cutting down on his foul trouble:
"“Just really using my feet first and staying disciplined not jumping for every pump fake. I’ve done a good job of not going for every pump fake — I’ve got some lately — but it’s just really about being patient on the defensive end and using my feet. And understanding that this is a league where everybody is talented and they can score. Sometimes I used to get frustrated as I never wanted anyone to score, and I spoke with coach Kidd and he said you’ve got to understand this is a league where everybody is talented and somebody is going to score at some point, so you’ve just got to take the ball out and continue to play.”"
On his biggest focus in the offseason:
"“The biggest one for me is building my body. You know, hitting the weight room, eating well, and just getting into a habit of eating a certain way. Hitting the weight room is going to be the biggest thing for me.”"
On his plans for the summer:
"“This summer I’ll mostly be here [in Milwaukee]. Working out a lot here. Maybe take a little trip somewhere and go see my family, but other than that I’ll be here.”"