Kyle Kuzma was elated when he got traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, giving him a chance to play for a contender after spending several years with the Washington Wizards. After an abysmal showing with Milwaukee in the NBA Playoffs, however, Kuzma's stock is at an all-time low. He got his wish, and now, it's time for the forward to hold up his end of the bargain.
The Milwaukee Bucks need a motivated, hungry Kyle Kuzma
Shortly after being traded to Milwaukee, Kuzma said, "Obviously, I’ve been licking my chops for an opportunity to compete at a high level," per an article from The Athletic's Eric Nehm (subscription required). That backfired. He didn't show it in the postseason, averaging 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on 34.3 percent shooting, finding himself benched.
It's now time for Kuzma to wipe the slate clean. It's a new season, and Kuzma has a chance to back up his claim with his performance.
The frustrating thing about Kyle Kuzma is that he's exactly the type of player that can help this team. Milwaukee is still on the hunt for a primary wing defender, and Kuzma has shown flashes of having the chops to take that role. He also averaged nearly 20 points per game during his time in Washington, meaning he could give the Milwaukee Bucks a major jolt in that regard.
Yet, none of that was on display last season. Instead, he had a lowlight tape filled with erratic drives to the hoop with no plan and jumpers that missed nearly everything. That cannot be the case next year if Kuzma plans on impacting winning. If he carries that style of play over into next season, he will earn a one-way ticket to the bench or perhaps even off the team entirely.
Kuzma has shown he can be a winning player before. In 2019-20, he helped the Los Angeles Lakers win a title. That was before his stint with Washington, where he took on a larger role with little to no expectations. Now, it's time to reel Kuzma back in and get him back to being a role player rather than a star player with the greenest light offensively.
It's not too far-fetched to say that Kyle Kuzma is Milwaukee's biggest X-factor next season outside of health. He could be the difference between this team being a first-round exit vs. making a playoff run deeper than they've gone since 2021. Talk is cheap. It's time to back it up with performance.
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