Cavs: Pick-and-pops would be crucial for potential Thon Maker minutes

Thon Maker could perhaps provide some rotational shooting for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and then-unrestricted free agent Thon Maker agreed to terms on a training camp deal on Saturday, of which you can view the reported details about here.

For clarification, considering that Marques Bolden and Levi Randolph, both players for Cleveland’s G League affiliate, the Canton Charge, were extended training camp invites, too, among others, such as Charles Matthews, Cleveland’s training camp roster is set. Cleveland’s at the max of 20 players heading into camp, per a report from Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.

Swinging back to Maker, though, it’s uncertain if he’ll end up making the Cavs’ roster, clearly.

Maker was not extended a qualifying offer by the Detroit Pistons, so that’s why he was an unrestricted free agent, for further context. But he still is only 23, and is a true 7-footer.

Albeit what would be the key seller for potential minutes for Maker, should he make Cleveland, is him showing some stretch big qualities previously/being able to hit off-the-catch after setting ball screens.

Pick-and-pops are crucial for potential minutes for Maker on the Cavs.

Maker’s hit 32.9 percent of his career three-point attempts through four seasons, which is not particularly noteworthy, but he’s shown flashes of being able to hit from downtown off-the-catch.

As a rookie with the Milwaukee Bucks, who eventually would trade Maker to Detroit via three-team deal with the New Orleans Pelicans as well, Maker hit 37.8 percent of his deep attempts in 2016-17. And while the attempts were anything but a ton, realistically, at 1.1 per outing, Maker did hit 34.4 percent in 2019-20 with the Pistons.

If Maker were to make the Cavs’ roster for next season, pick-and-pop viability would be crucial for him, anyhow. That’s been fairly inconsistent for him through his four seasons, frankly.

But in some spurts spelling Andre Drummond feasibly, or with Maker at the 4 with JaVale McGee at the 5, Maker popping as a roller in pick-and-roll and hitting off of deliveries from Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr. or Dylan Windler would help his case. The same could go with Matthew Dellavedova at times, also.

We’ll have to see if Maker can do so potentially in Cleveland’s four preseason games versus the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 12 and 14/then at the New York Knicks on Dec. 16 and 18, I’d imagine.

Maker has shown some capability as a lob threat/occasional putback player, too, which could give the Cavs some of a boost from him out there in spurts along with perimeter looks.

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In terms of the defensive end, Maker has shown some switchout capabilities at times, but the key seller for him is rotational rim protection as a helper/rotator. Maker’s had 0.7 blocks per outing in 13.9 minutes per game through his four seasons, and has had a solid block rate of 4.1 percent.

However, it’s still uncertain if Maker will end up making Cleveland to me due to him being a thinner 221 pounds, with how he’s had struggles defending bigs often on-ball and/or his fouling problems.

Lifetime, Maker’s had 4.6 fouls per-36 minutes; he’s not a player that you want out there for long stretches.

Perhaps Maker, who had 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per outing in 2019-20, could be a decent kind of spot minutes type of player, though, for the Wine and Gold. But I wouldn’t want him taking minutes away from Larry Nance Jr., for example, factoring in some minutes at the 4.

If Cleveland were to eventually trade the expiring Drummond, though, perhaps near the 2021 deadline (which would seem likely), if they were to bring back a big as part of a package, maybe Maker could allow Cleveland to patch things together for the rest of the year for their 5’s. That’s if McGee, whose also set to be expiring, were to stick through the deadline, if you will.

Anyway, for Maker, if he were to make the Cavaliers’ roster heading into 2020-21, aside from just a rotational option for spurts, him being able to connect on pick-and-pops throughout games would be crucial for a seller for bench minutes for him.

He has shown flashes of that at times, so maybe that could materialize with the Cavs next season, if the opportunities arise. But we’ll have to see what Maker can do in preseason action.

Either way, the Cavs extending Maker a training camp deal invite was a sensible move, from my perspective.