Jon Horst didn't mince words; he wants the Milwaukee Bucks to shoot the long ball again and again in 2025-26. Speaking to The Athletic's Eric Nehm (subscription required), Horst said the Bucks, who had the best 3-point percentage in the NBA last season, should look to climb into the top 10 in attempts, as they were just 18th last season, to give this offense a much-needed shot in the arm.
That won't be a problem for most of the roster. However, it will force someone like Kyle Kuzma, who has never been an above-average perimeter shooter in his career, to get uncomfortable. If Kuzma wants to fit in with this offense and ignite his bounce-back season with the Milwaukee Bucks, he'll have to knock down his outside shots with more regularity than ever before.
Bucks are asking Kyle Kuzma to get uncomfortable
As mentioned, shooting has never been Kuzma's strength. For his career, he's shot 33.4 percent from distance on 5.8 attempts per game. There have been some glimpses of promise in there, as he has hit over 36 percent of his triples on two occasions, one of which was his standout rookie year. If he could bury 36 percent or more of them with the Milwaukee Bucks, he could reach new heights.
As simple as it sounds, Kuzma has to capitalize on his open looks. After coming to the Bucks, Kuzma went just 16-of-54 (29.6 percent) on his open (given four to six feet of space) 3-point looks and 28-of-76 (36.8 percent) on his wide open (six or more feet of space) tries. With opposing defenses locked in on stopping Giannis Antetokounmpo, those shots need to be closer to 40 percent or better.
Kuzma will find himself particularly open when he's in the corners, and he must sink those attempts. He did his job in the left corner as a Buck, going 21-of-46 (45.7 percent). However, the right corner was a much different story, as he shot a putrid 8-of-39 (20.5 percent). If he could get both of those numbers right around 45 percent or better, it could be the key to fitting in with this new offense.
To be clear, the Milwaukee Bucks won't be asking Kyle Kuzma to become just a catch-and-shoot guy on the perimeter. They will need him to cut to the hoop and get some easy looks inside. However, the outside shot is his biggest X-factor as he enters his first full season in Milwaukee. If he's hitting those, look out, NBA.
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