Young Bucks Tracker: Thon Maker gets first career start
With two-thirds of the roster born in 1990 or later, the Milwaukee Bucks are a young, growing team. Every Thursday for the rest of the season, FOX Sports Wisconsin will take a closer look at the players that are 25 years old and younger (for the most part, those still in their first four NBA seasons), measuring, highlighting and evaluating their progress.
This is the 11th edition of the 2016-17 Young Bucks Tracker.
(A glossary of the advanced statistics used for season totals, which are from basketball-reference.com. can be found at the end of this article)
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO (Age 22, fourth season)
Statistical season averages: 35.0 minutes, 23.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.8 steals, 2.0 blocks, 52.9 FG%, 28.1 3PT%.
Statistical averages, last week: 37.4 minutes, 22.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.0 blocks, 44.4 FG%, 26.3 3PT%.
Advanced stats, season: 27.6 PER, 60.7 percent TS%, 28.7 percent USG%, 118 ORtg, 103 DRtg, 4.2 VORP.
Notable: Antetokounmpo had three double-doubles in four games this past week and in the one he didn't, he had 31 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Also, in case you've been living in cave and didn't hear, he was named a starter in the All-Star Game.
MALCOLM BROGDON (Age 24, first season)
Statistical season averages: 25.2 minutes, 9.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, 43.7 FG%, 42.6 3PT%.
Statistical averages, last week: 30.4 minutes, 9.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.0 blocks, 33.3 FG%, 41.7 3PT%.
Advanced stats, season: 13.8 PER, 53.8 percent TS%, 18.0 percent USG%, 109 ORtg, 111 DRtg, 0.2 VORP.
Notable: Brogdon was moved out of the starting lineup and proceeded to make just 6 of 25 field-goal attempts -- and 1 of 6 3-point attempts -- combined in the next three games. He did have nine assists on Monday vs. Houston and seven on Wednesday against Philadelphia.
THON MAKER (Age 19, first season)
Statistical season averages: 4.7 minutes, 2.2 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.0 assists, 0.1 steals, 0.2 blocks, 55.6 FG%, 50.0 3PT%.
Statistical averages, last week: 8.0 minutes, 2.0 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.0 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.0 blocks, 33.3 FG%, 50.0 3PT%.
Advanced stats, season: 18.4 PER, 68.5 percent TS%, 16.1 percent USG%, 134 ORtg, 108 DRtg, 0.0 VORP.
Notable: Maker played in three of Milwaukee's four games last week, including his first career start, coming on Saturday at Miami. Maker played 18:06 in that contest -- only the second time he's had double digits in minutes -- and finished with six points, a rebound and a steal. Maker had steals in back-to-back games (he also had one the previous night at Orlando), his first ones in the NBA.
JABARI PARKER (Age 21, third season)
Statistical season averages: 34.3 minutes, 20.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.4 blocks, 49.2 FG%, 39.1 3PT%.
Statistical averages, last week: 36.6 minutes, 22.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.3 blocks, 48.6 FG%, 26.3 3PT%.
Advanced stats: 19.6 PER, 56.7 percent TS%, 25.9 percent USG%, 113 ORtg, 111 DRtg, 1.1 VORP.
Notable: Parker continues to have an All-Star-type season, scoring 20+ points in three games while doing other things on the court as well such as recording six rebounds and six assists at Orlando, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals vs. Houston and three blocks against Philadelphia.
TONY SNELL (Age 25, fourth season)
Statistical season averages: 29.0 minutes, 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.2 blocks, 45.1 FG%, 37.1 3PT%.
Statistical averages, last week: 26.0 minutes, 6.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.0 blocks, 64.3 FG%, 54.5 3PT%.
Advanced stats: 9.3 PER, 58.7 percent TS%, 11.7 percent USG%, 114 ORtg, 113 DRtg, 0.3 VORP.
Notable: Since Jan. 6, a span of 11 games, Snell is shooting 54.3 percent on his 3-point attempts. In the last three games, he is 6 for 9.
RASHAD VAUGHN (Age 20, second season)
Statistical season averages: 10.5 minutes, 4.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.2 blocks, 39.5 FG%, 37.8 3PT%.
Statistical averages, last week: 10.3 minutes, 4.0 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.0 blocks, 42.9 FG%, 50.0 3PT%.
Advanced stats, season: 10.3 PER, 50.7 percent TS%, 18.0 percent USG%, 98 ORtg, 110 DRtg, -0.1 VORP.
Notable: Vaughn played in the first two games of the week but was on the bench for the final two. He had eight points at Orlando in just under 10 minutes of court time.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
PER -- Player Efficiency Rating: A measure of per-minute production standardized such that the league average is 15.
TS% -- True Shooting Percentage: A measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account 2-point field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws.
USG% -- Usage Percentage: An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor.
ORtg -- Offensive Rating: An estimate of points produced per 100 possessions.
DRtg -- Defensive Rating: An estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions.
VORP -- Value over Replacement Player: A box score estimate of the points per 100 TEAM possessions that a player contributed above a replacement-level (-2.0) player, translated to an average team and prorated to an 82-game season.
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