Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 109-102 win over Dallas Mavericks

Thon comes up huge down the stretch

In spite of a number of suspect performances in the early stages of his sophomore season, on Friday, Thon Maker came up with perhaps one of the most influential quarters of his NBA career to date.

Maker started the night rather poorly, struggling for any offensive consistency while constantly losing his man defensively and giving up open looks, both on the perimeter and at the rim. Maker has all the makings (pun intended) of a future Defensive Player of the Year, standing at seven feet tall and possessing an even longer wingspan. So it’s baffling watching him get suckered into jumping to defend a jump shot and conceding either a shooting foul  or a blow by into the lane for an easy lay up.

Friday night was no exception for Maker in the first three quarters as he looked all at sea. In the fourth however, Jason Kidd stuck with Maker down the stretch and he rewarded him in spades. He grabbed several key rebounds, along with a huge block and steal later on to halt the Mavericks’ march.

When it was all said and done, Maker finished with four points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block. It may not be the most amazing stat line you’ve ever seen, but for Maker, this was an important night and hopefully a turning point. With many suggesting that perhaps he may never live up to the lofty standards thrust upon him after an impressive rookie year, Maker now finds himself on the hot seat.

However, more clutch fourth quarter performances from Maker like Friday night’s effort will certainly quell those “bust” calls. In an ideal world, Maker becomes a stretch-five who can rebound at an adequate rate and shut down opponents on defense, within the Bucks’ switching defense. In a very small sample size, Maker proved his value within that particular model and the Bucks walked away with the victory. Here’s hoping Maker can continue this into the future.