Miami HEAT two-way player Yante Maten is off to an incredible start to his career, but lately he’s been playing on a different level entirely. In a recent five-game span from November 24 to December 8, Maten did something that no Skyforce player had ever done before by scoring 30-or-more points in five-straight games. His streak was snapped in Monday’s loss to the Agua Caliente Clippers as Maten scored a “lowly” 29 points to go along with a team-high 12 rebounds.
Former Skyforce players Tharon Mayes and Tony Harris were tied at four-straight 30-point games apiece before Maten burst onto the scene this season. Harris scored 30-or-more points in six out of seven games during the 1994-95 season, with his lone stumble being a 27-point outing against the Yakima Sun Kings. Similarly, Mayes tallied 30 points seven out of eight games during the 1990-91 season on his way to scoring the most single-season points in franchise history with 1,354. Mayes averaged 25.1 points per game in 54 regular-season appearances that year, and if Maten would continue his current 27.7 points per game mark across all 50 games this season, he’d top Mayes with 1,385 points.
Here’s a comparison between Maten’s last six games, and similar stretches made by Mayes and Harris:
Yante Maten’s Past Six Games:
| DATE | PTS | REBS | ASTS | FGM | FGA | 3PM | 3PA | FTM | FTA | FG% |
| 11/24/18 | 31 | 20 | 2 | 14 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 66.7 |
| 11/30/18 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 14 | 61.5 |
| 12/02/18 | 42 | 14 | 2 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 71.4 |
| 12/05/18 | 35 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 14 | 50.0 |
| 12/08/18 | 32 | 13 | 3 | 12 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 75.0 |
| 12/10/18 | 29 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 50.0 |
Tony Harris’ Seven-Game Stretch:
| DATE | PTS | REBS | ASTS | FGM | FGA | 3PM | 3PA | FTM | FTA | FG% |
| 02/11/95 | 42 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 23 | 58.8 |
| 02/15/95 | 35 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 52.0 |
| 02/17/95 | 27 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 45.0 |
| 02/18/95 | 34 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 58.8 |
| 02/22/95 | 44 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 25 | 52.4 |
| 02/24/95 | 32 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 28 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 46.4 |
| 02/25/95 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 29 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 41.3 |
Tharon Mayes Eight-Game Stretch:
| DATE | PTS | REBS | ASTS | FGM | FGA | 3PM | 3PA | FTM | FTA | FG% |
| 12/23/90 | 33 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 54.5 |
| 12/25/90 | 32 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 50.0 |
| 12/26/90 | 37 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 25 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 52.0 |
| 12/28/90 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 25 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 52.0 |
| 12/29/90 | 26 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 69.2 |
| 01/02/90 | 35 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 22 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 54.5 |
| 01/03/90 | 35 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 25 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 48.0 |
| 01/05/90 | 43 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 30 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 17 | 40.0 |
Maten is averaging a team-leading 27.7 points and 10.5 rebounds to start the season, and is shooting at a much more efficient rate than the high-scoring guards of the old Skyforce teams. He’ll undoubtedly spend time in the NBA at some point this season as part of his two-way contract with the HEAT, but for now, Maten remains one of the most lethal weapons the Skyforce has ever had at its disposal.