Patience was going to be absolutely necessary when the Milwaukee Bucks picked Thon Maker with the 10th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Being the first player to jump to the NBA from high school since the one-and-done rule was established in 2005, Maker’s enticing raw base of skills, length and athleticism were alluring enough that it outweighed concerns over his unfleshed game in the eyes of the Bucks’ then-front office, helmed by former general manager John Hammond.
Of course, players possessing those traits have long been Hammond’s calling card, but the insatiable drive and shoot for the moon-like aspirations the Sudanese-born Maker carries added another wrinkle in assessing his overall package once he was officially Milwaukee bound.