It’s totally blowing my mind right now that Thon Maker is contributing as the starter on a playoff team. This is not something I expected going into the season (neither the contributing part or the playoff team part). Malcolm Brogdon, sure. But not Maker. He’s not contributing a ridiculous amount, mind you, but he’s playing well considering his inexperience and he’s not being a liability on the court like he was for much of the year (this is one of those times when advanced stats definitely lied to you). You could even say that he changed this series with his activity on the defensive end in the first game.
Maker didn’t get any blocks this game, but his presence was definitely felt on that end, as Toronto only managed 77 points. How many open layups has Kyle Lowry passed up since he saw Maker obliterate a bunch of shots in the opener? Him and Giannis make(r) people think twice around the basket.
Any scoring you can get out of him is still a bonus at this point. He did well tonight, hitting a wide-open three and also dunking through Serge Ibaka. He even showcased his inner Giannis with a baseline drive and dish. Is that the first time I’ve actually seen his playmaking ability in-game? That was one of the parts of his game that was hyped in those high-school mixtapes, but it hasn’t manifested itself at all. Until now? The playoffs are a good time to discover buried elements of your game, I guess.