Milwaukee Bucks 2017-18 Season Review: Thon Maker

The best of Maker

For starters, the best of Thon Maker was seen far too seldom by the Bucks in 2017-18, but it’s the timing of when Maker produces his best play that only adds to the intrigue that continues to surround the 21-year-old.

In spurts, Maker displays a number of the key attributes NBA teams look for in modern centers.

The native of South Sudan is capable of spreading the floor to knock down three-pointers or long-range jump-shots, while his combination of length, size and mobility gives him the potential to be a force on the defensive end of the floor.

For the second year running, Maker managed to channel many of these elements into positive and impactful play during the playoffs. At this point, it doesn’t seem like a reach to say that Maker has a taste for the big stage and the big occasion.

As the Bucks regained a foothold in their first round series with the Celtics, Maker recorded consecutive five-block games. Five-block playoff games for players aged 21 or younger are so rare that Maker’s entries became just the 12th and 13th times it’s happened in the NBA. Only Darryl Dawkins, Andrei Kirilenko, Serge Ibaka, Myles Turner, Steven Adams and Maker have previously managed that many blocks in a postseason game at that age.

Across those two games, Maker also combined to shoot 5-of-9 from three-point range, highlighting just how versatile he can be.

That’s what makes Maker such a tantalizing young player still. He’s got many of the tools you’d hope to see in a young big, and he has a habit for coming up with the goods when his team needs him most. The next step for him is to find some real consistency.