5 Reasons The Milwaukee Bucks Lost Their 1st Round Series With Toronto

The Rookie Wall

The Milwaukee Bucks did something this postseason that no team has done since 2013, starting two rookies in a playoff game. Rookie second-rounder Malcolm Brogdon started at point guard for the Bucks, and Thon Maker started at center.

Early in the series both of these players were excellent. In Game 1 Brogdon dropped 16 points and gathered in six rebounds as he won the battle of point guards at both ends. His defensive toughness completely stymied All-Star Kyle Lowry, who was able to put up only four points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field.

Thon Maker exploded onto the national scene in that Game 1 victory, blocking three Raptors shots in a pivotal third quarter. In Game 2 Maker filled up the stat sheet, matching a season-high with four assists to go with a three-pointer, a steal and two blocks. Game 3 saw Maker pour in 11 points, including a three-pointer and a 4-for-4 mark from the free throw line.

As the series went on, however, it was clear that the team’s two key rookies were wearing down, from either the physical or mental toll of the series. Maker went 5-for-17 over the series’ final three games, all Toronto victories. Brogdon was a combined -35 over those three games, and Kyle Lowry broke through to put up numbers closer to his normal levels.

By the final game head coach Jason Kidd had to move away from his starting lineup in crunchtime, despite their two-way dominance earlier in the series. Maker played just 13 minutes in Game 6, and Brogdon tallied just 23, as Kidd went with Matthew Dellavedova and Greg Monroe instead.

As both of these players grow in the league they will be better equipped to make a sustained impact in the 2018 NBA Playoffs and beyond. This season it was simply a lot to ask of a pair of rookies. They, along with the rest of the Bucks, will be back.