Behind the Bucks Pass
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End of deer list: 10 moments and milestones that defined the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2018

By Jordan Treske

DENVER, CO - November 11 : Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks high fives Tony Snell #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks on November 11, 2018 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - November 11 : Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks high fives Tony Snell #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks on November 11, 2018 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 20: (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 20: (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

The return of Playoff Thon

No Bucks player in recent memory has embodied both their tantalizing potential and infuriating inconsistencies during the Jason Kidd and Co. era quite like raw, but athletic big man, Thon Maker.

Since being taken with 10th overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, Maker has often saved his best play for the biggest stage or when stakes have been at their highest. Despite his limited run throughout his rookie season where he saw just 556 total minutes in his 57 appearances, Maker’s series-changing performance during the Bucks’ first round series against the Toronto Raptors laid the groundwork for a highly anticipated sophomore campaign.

But disappointment quickly set in once the 2017-18 season rolled around and Maker’s fall from opening night starter to catching DNP-CDs for stretches during the second half of the year pointed to how pronounced his ineffectiveness was throughout the Bucks’ inconsistent campaign overall.

Maker’s end of the bench role stayed intact once the Bucks entered the playoffs and took on the Boston Celtics in the first round as he logged exactly one minute between the opening pair of games in the series.

But as fate would have it, Maker was given an opening for a role within the Bucks’ rotation due to then-starting big man John Henson going down with lower back soreness once the series swung back to Milwaukee starting in Game 3.

That was all the Australian international needed to sprinkle some Maker magic as he entered Game 3 like a wrecking ball pulverizing shots at the rim, hitting triples and feeding off an especially lively crowd within the BMO Harris Bradley Center as the Bucks blew out the Celtics 106-82 to put the series at 2-1 in favor of Boston.

Game 4 wasn’t one-sided by any means, but Maker’s defensive contributions rang key with the Bucks eking out a 104-102 win to even the series at 2-2. Between Games 3 and 4, Maker had compiled 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field (5-of-9 shooting from deep, 5-of-7 from the FT line) and 10 blocks in just over 55 combined minutes.

Just like he had done the year prior, Maker’s balls-out energy and two-way play had helped the Bucks flip the proverbial switch and eventually led to him worming his way back into the starting lineup for the rest of the series starting in Game 5.

Maker’s ensuing outings didn’t come close to reaching the same heights as the Bucks eventually fell to the Celtics in seven games, but the 21-year-old’s sudden re-emergence certainly struck a chord on why it would be shortsighted to give up on his potential and development just yet.

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