MILWAUKEE — Adjustments are a big part of any series in the NBA playoffs. Coaches try to push the right buttons to exploit mismatches, punish weaknesses and take teams out of their comfort zones.
Brad Stevens did this beautifully in the first round against the Bulls last year after the C’s fell into a 0-2 hole. He turned to the end of his bench and inserted Gerald Green into the starting five in place of Amir Johnson. Green stretched the floor with his shooting, which helped break down the Bulls defense and opened the door to four-straight victories for Boston and a series win.
While some adjustments may be calculated, others can occur simply due to necessity. This was the case on Friday night as starting Bucks center John Henson was sidelined with a back injury. The undersized center is a solid defensive anchor for Milwaukee, but has his limitations down low. He lacks the foot speed to handle smaller players in switches and his limited shooting range allows the C’s defense to lay off him and provide additional help on penetrations and drives.
The depth chart was thin behind Henson with veteran Tyler Zeller and a springy third-string big man named Thon Maker. Zeller got the starting nod for Game 3, but hit the bench early with foul trouble. That opened the door for Maker to get his first chance at meaningful minutes in the series and help the Bucks discover a lineup look that may help them win it.
Maker is a different kind of center who fits well to the modern NBA game. While he’s a terrible rebounder, he’s very mobile for his 7-foot frame and can stretch the floor well for a big, shooting 33 percent for his career from 3-point range. The 21-year-old hasn't lived up to the potential after a promising rookie season and playoff run last year, falling in and out of the rotation over the last month of the season. Still, he answered the call in Game 3, posting 14 points, five rebounds and a career-high five blocks off the bench in just 24 minutes. He was 3-of-4 from 3-point range and drew a three-shot foul on another attempt, which provided the Bucks with some true spacing at the center spot for the first time all series.
"We had a conversation earlier, probably like two weeks ago,” Giannis Antetokounmpo explained. “I told him that he’s got to bring that killer mentality back. He was hungry. I think he lost that for a little bit, but tonight he showed how much he wants it.”
“It was not only the blocks and energy, but he hit some big shots,” head coach Joe Prunty added after the win. “He had a huge 3 from the right wing and made a lot of plays on both sides of the ball that are critical to winning the game. The blocks were plays he was running from behind sometimes. He wasn’t always there meeting somebody. He was just continuing to stay in the play, and that energy and intensity ... all the things he brought are important. We’re going to need him to do it again.”
The 3-point shooting shouldn’t be a major concern for the C’s. The vast majority of those looks were wide open and the C’s let him have those since he’s shooting a subpar 29 percent from downtown this year. They’ll make him a little more uncomfortable in Game 4 with closeouts and since he can’t really hurt the C’s elsewhere (4.4 points per game this year), they will just need to adjust their help scheme to give him less space to operate. That mere threat should open up the floor more for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe to attack defenders in 1-on-1 situations.
The bigger impact that Maker provides for Milwaukee is a big man who's capable of handling players of various sizes in switches. The Celtics were happy to attack these mismatches with ease over the first two games against Henson, but Maker wreaked havoc with his length and pursuit with almost everyone he guarded on Friday night. He blocked four different players (Brown, Tatum, Larkin, Monroe) via weakside help or simply by pursuing drives in isolation.
Notice how well he finishes off these plays.
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— FOX Sports Wisconsin (@fswisconsin) April 21, 2018
Thon Maker Block Party helps Bucks smash Celtics in Game 3
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— FOX Sports Wisconsin (@fswisconsin) April 21, 2018