Milwaukee Bucks: Thon Maker needs to step up now

Last season Thon Maker looked like a future star. The Milwaukee Bucks need him to shake off a slow start and start realizing his potential now.

Thon Maker has bounced up and down the court of public opinion. Prior to the draft he was all exciting and unknown potential, but when the Milwaukee Bucks took him 10th overall, suddenly he was overrated, the selection a reach. When he started at center for the Bucks during their playoff run last season he was growing into a star, but this year he’s overrated and shoved to the side.

The truth has to be somewhere in between: not a bust but not a superstar. Whatever Kevin Garnett has to say, Thon Maker will never be the MVP of the league. But that doesn’t mean Milwaukee shouldn’t expect more out of the young player, as thus far this season he has been inconsistent at best, and at worst has regressed since the end of last season.

Last season Maker hit 37.8 percent from beyond the arc, spacing the floor for his teammates; this year he’s hitting just 30.3 percent. In 10 minutes a game he carved out a role; despite doubling his minutes this season, his per-game averages have stayed the same. His usage rate has gone down, while his turnover rate nearly doubled and his efficiency has dropped.

Maker’s per-36 numbers have gone down in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and 3-pointers. After starting the final 37 games of the 2016-17 season, including the playoffs, Maker has started in just eight of Milwaukee’s 18 games this season.

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Given the climate surrounding the Bucks organization, the time for Maker to shake off his early-season struggles is quickly running out. The opportunity and need are both filled to the brim, and Maker needs to step up and be the player Milwaukee needs — even if that isn’t a star.

In trading for Eric Bledsoe, the Bucks sent highly-paid center Greg Monroe to the Phoenix Suns without getting another big man in return. This not only thinned the frontcourt rotation, it created a lack of offensive creation from the pivot. Monroe, for all his flaws, was an efficient creator from the elbow and the Bucks played better as a team with him on the court rather than off.

But with Monroe gone, Maker needs to step up and fill at least part of the vacated role. The bench rotation is devoid of shot creation, with Malcolm Brogdon and Matthew Dellavedova more suited to an off-ball role as secondary creators. When healthym Mirza Teletovic is a spot-up stretch-4 and not a playmaker, and journeyman DeAndre Liggins is not going to create offense either.

The Bucks often handle this by staggering Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, but Middleton has been struggling under the weight of his increased usage. Anything that can alleviate that load will help, and that includes Maker. More than just a spot-up shooter, Maker needs to unleash the penetration skill he broke out in attacking closeouts. If he can drive into the paint and make the pass to cutters or open shooters, suddenly the pressure on this offense lessens dramatically.

To get players to close out hard, though, Maker has to hit shots. Thus far, his inability to hit from outside has caused John Henson to leap him in the rotation. The problem with this is twofold: Henson is not suited to play so many minutes, and he does not help Antetokounmpo play his best basketball.

When the Bucks were at their best last year, John Henson was not even playing. He is a decent rotation piece, a lanky big man who can catch lobs and interfere with driving lanes on defense. But his offensive abilities are very limited, and defensively he doesn’t have the upside that the more athletic Maker provides.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is an early MVP candidate, among the league leaders in a number of statistical categories. But without an outside shot of his own, the Greek Freak needs space to unleash the best of his game around the rim. In half-court sets where Henson shares the court with Antetokounmpo, defenders can crowd the paint and smother drives.

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Thon Maker at his best — or even his average — forces his defender out of the paint. Even if Maker isn’t hitting an elite number from the corner, knowing he can hit those shots keeps his defender honest. If his defender crashes down on a driving Antetokounmpo or Bledsoe, it’s imperative that he hit a decent number of his jumpers. Without his spacing, the Bucks’ offense grinds to a halt in the half-court.

The Milwaukee Bucks are currently floundering with injuries to their rotation. Mirza Teletovic generally averages double-digit minutes in the frontcourt, and he is out indefinitely. Antetokounmpo and Henson have both missed time with nagging injuries. Jabari Parker is out until February.

Maker got his only start since the start of the month in Henson’s absence against the Phoenix Suns, and not so coincidentally, dropped a career-high 16 points in around 33 minutes. He chipped in eight rebounds and three blocks as well.

That is the kind of performance Maker needs to build upon, something he was not able to do as Kidd immediately shoved him back to the bench in Henson’s return — a loss to the Utah Jazz. For the Bucks to reach their potential as a team, Maker needs to be starting at the 5. That means he needs to earn that right.

Maker’s trajectory after last season seemed pointed for the sun, but the reality of this season is that he has taken a step back. He is young enough, with the right work ethic and drive to succeed, that the Bucks can hope he will regain the path of development.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks: The rotation is a disaster

But if he’s going to continue growing, he needs to do so now, because his team needs him.