The Milwaukee Bucks are treading dangerous waters right now.
After dropping their last two games, they've fallen down to the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference. They have a fairly sizeable lead ahead of the seventh seed, but with Giannis Antetokounmpo dealing with a foot sprain and Damian Lillard out indefinitely with a sudden blood clot, who knows how far this team could fall.
Though the Bucks have the 25th-hardest schedule remaining in the NBA this season per Tankathon, things are obviously going to be much harder when one or both of their stars are out. Everyone must embrace a larger role and shoulder more responsibility to keep the team afloat for the time being, and one Buck with a microscope over them is Kyle Kuzma.
The Milwaukee Bucks need Kyle Kuzma to turn back the clock
With the NBA's highest-scoring duo this season injured, it makes sense to call on Kuzma to pick up some of the slack offensively. While some would call it empty stats, Kuzma did average more than 21 points per game in two consecutive seasons when he was a member of the Washington Wizards. He has the ability to put the ball in the hoop, which is exactly what this Milwaukee team needs right now.
In Milwaukee's first game following the recent injury news, a hard-fought loss to the Denver Nuggets, Kuzma was far from sufficient. He finished with just 10 points on a foul 3-of-10 shooting, struggling to connect on a handful of shots even close to the hoop. In a game that was close from start to finish, the Milwaukee Bucks really could have used a few more buckets from Kuzma.
While they deal with these injuries, it would be a major shot in the arm if Kyle Kuzma could return to his Washington form and provide some legitimate offense. When Antetokounmpo and Lillard are in the lineup, he won't be relied upon as heavily, but right now, this team needs offense from anywhere they can get it. Kuzma has shown previously during his career that he can give it.
The Milwaukee Bucks would love to see Kuzma knock down a few more triples - he's at 29.1 percent since the trade - but above all else, he needs to start finishing better. In March, he's shooting a brutal 14-of-44 (31.8 percent) on shots in the paint (non-restricted area). It would be a huge boost if Kuzma could start hitting those more, especially with Giannis not there to also command the paint.
No matter how he gets them, the Milwaukee Bucks need more points from Kyle Kuzma. He's shown that he can put up big numbers before, and with their stars out for an uncertain period of time, they need him to do it once again to keep this team kicking.
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