Thon Maker has emerged as a linchpin of the Milwaukee Bucks’ defense as they attempt to upset the No. 3-seeded Toronto Raptors in the first round of the East playoffs. The rookie big man from South Sudan has become a rim-protecting starting center for a Bucks team following Giannis Antetokounmpo’s lead.
Thon Maker is only starting because the Bucks couldn’t send him to the D-League
The Bucks finished the season 18-6 after inserting Maker into the starting lineup.
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
But had circumstances been different, the 20-year-old center could have found himself in the Development League. According to NBA.com’s John Schuhmann, Bucks head coach Jason Kidd wanted to send Maker to the D-League, but he couldn’t — the Bucks won’t have their own D-League team until next season.
So Kidd did the next best thing: He started Maker.
“We didn’t want it to be a wasted year and we didn’t want to ship him somewhere,” Kidd said prior to Game 2 in Toronto on Tuesday. “So the options became slim to where we need to play him. Talking to the coaching staff, they said let’s look at starting him, being able to benefit [from] his energy, but also giving him the opportunity to play.”
It was a bold decision that paid off. Since inserting Maker as the starting center, Milwaukee went 18-6 and charged up the standings to the East’s sixth seed. The Bucks fleeced the Raptors out of Game 1 in Toronto and take a tied series back home to Milwaukee for Games 3 and 4.
Maker has five combined blocks in 35 total minutes in Games 1 and 2 and has been an anchor for a Bucks defense that’s given the Raptors fits in their first-round series.
And that’s all because Kidd opted not to ship him to another team’s D-League affiliate. Good call, coach.
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