Detroit Pistons: Thon Maker and the bad boy attitude we love

Thon Maker has been an good role player for the Detroit Pistons. He gives the bad boy attitude that Pistons fan know and love so much.

When Thon Maker was brought to the Detroit Pistons roster in exchange for Stanley Johnson, Pistons fans didn’t know what to expect from him. In fact most of us were shook by the departure of Stanley, because when he was drafted, he was supposed to be one of the players to build around for the future.

But, Thon Maker? Who is that guy? How can this tall, skinny guy could help the Pistons playoff hopes, and most important; how can he be helpful for the future of the organization? I quickly start the investigation process on the new guy, and his stat line while he was with the Milwaukee Bucks.

There I found a guy who’s averages in three years with the Bucks were 4.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.5 assists and, for a 7-footer; a non impressive 0.6 blocks per game. I immediately thought we were robbed, because even when Stanley couldn’t hit a shot in the sea, we loved his defensive mindset. So, why changing a guy who’s a great defender for this Thon Maker? Trust me, I was pissed, then I watched him play.

Thon runs the floor extremely well, he can shoot the three, he can play the 4 or even the 5 spot on the court, and last but not least, he has this bad boy attitude that Pistons fans love: blue-collar, unselfish, not afraid and self-sacrificing guy. If not mistaken, his first game at Little Caesars Arena was the game that make me eat my fears about him and my anger with Ed Stefanski.

The Pistons were playing against the Washington Wizards, a team which at that time was in a playoff run directly against Detroit so it was a pivotal game. Last seconds of the first quarter and up by 6 points most of you guys would’ve thought a dunk or a layup can’t hurt right now, is just the first quarter right? Well, Thon had a different view of things and met Wizards forward Bobby Portis at the rim, rejected him, fell to the floor, quickly gut up and using his length and long arms, prevented the Wizards from scoring.

Portis’ left hand seemed to smack Maker in the face, causing bleeding to his mouth. The Detroit Pistons big man showed the bloody mouth on the sidelines and to be honest, we weren’t scared because that Detroit Basketball, that’s how he earned the trust of must of the fans, in just his second game with the squad.

Since then, Maker has been playing great basketball, coming off the bench for Blake Griffin. He might have some games better than others, but I love to see the guy playing his heart out each and every night. And when you need him the most, he’s always willing to give 110 % on the court. And don’t forget he is only 22 years old.

Again, a pivotal game against the Orlando Magic, Andre Drummond setting the tone on defense, and Thon following the orders

This last tweet is from NBA Mexico (@NBAMEX) and shows the hustle and defensive effort from Thon in the game against the Portland Trailblazers. By the way, there’s no point of comparing; but this kind of reminded me of Tayshaun Prince’s block as George Blaha and Gregory Kelser mentioned on the broadcast.

https://twitter.com/NBAMEX/status/1109669306185498624

Like it or not, Thon Maker is a Detroit Piston and he has shown qualities Pistons fans love. Is he here to stay? I don’t know. Does he have the “Bad Boy” mentality? Yes, he does. and now it’s the perfect time for him to prove doubters wrong.