Milwaukee Bucks: 3 goals for Thon Maker in 2018-19
3. Shoot reliably from outside
In his rookie season Maker was immediately the best stretch-big on the roster, carving out minutes for himself as a low-minute starter. He knocked down 3-pointers at a 37.8 percent clip, albeit on a relatively low number of attempts (74).
Last season Maker took a major step back, hitting just 29.8 percent of his long range shots. After taking 40 percent of his shots from deep in 2016-17, that attempt rate dropped to 32.9 in his second season. Maker’s favorite spot, the corner, was a safe place in his rookie year — he nailed 43 percent of his shots from the corner. Last year that dropped to 33 percent on all corner 3s.
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Maker will no longer get playing time simply because there is no better option. The Bucks added Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova, players capable of spacing the floor from the frontcourt. Both are also veteran starters, with a certain known quantity to their game that makes them reliable.
To earn a place in the rotation, Maker has to knock down open shots with consistency. He also needs to take those shots. In last year’s postseason series against the Celtics, Maker took 71.4 percent of his shots from behind the arc, an elite number. While he only shot 30 percent on those 20 attempts, Maker has to combine that shot distribution with increased accuracy. One without the other does not help space the floor for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
If Maker can tick his shooting percentage from deep up to 36 percent and take at least 45 percent of his shots as 3-pointers, he will be the player this team needs on offense. Once he has established that shot, he can work to develop the rest of his offensive repertoire.