Milwaukee Bucks: 3 goals for Thon Maker in 2018-19

1. Show up every night

If you went around and polled NBA head coaches and asked them the following questions, they would give a unanimous response: Would you rather have a player score 15 points every night, or five some nights and 25 other nights? Each and every coach would rather build on the knowledge of 15 points, rather than deal with the uncertainty of the latter option.

Maker has been the latter throughout his NBA career, bouncing up and down on his impact. Remember that big postseason Game 3 we keep referencing? Maker exploded for 14 points, three 3-pointers and five blocks. In the final three games of that series, Maker totaled 11 points, one 3-pointer and one block.

Mike Budenholzer is not going to put Thon Maker on the bench because he has one bad game. But if Maker’s effort, focus and production are wildly different from night to night, he will neither help to raise the ceiling of this team, nor retain his place in the rotation. Maker has to demonstrate he can bring it every night of the season.

Those monstrous nights of highlight blocks and sharp jumpers? They need to be outliers from a foundation of games where he chips in 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks. If Thon Maker can hit from outside at a consistent clip, lean into the fundamentals as a rim protector and bring his best every single night, the 2018-19 season can be one where he establishes himself as the player everyone hopes he can be.