When the Milwaukee Bucks traded franchise cornerstone Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma at the trade deadline this past season, many fans were upset about the move. Kuzma's play throughout the rest of the regular season and especially in the playoffs only added fuel to that fire. The rumors are loud, but if the Bucks plan to keep Kuzma, they need to move him to the bench.
Kuzma could be the first option for the bench unit
The difficult thing about Kuzma's fit in the starting lineup for the Bucks is his inconsistent 3-point shot.
Last year, he shot a disappointing 30.7 percent from long range. That makes it difficult to pair Kuzma in lineups with a non-shooter like Giannis, despite that being the plan when the trade was made last season. If he can't shoot, his defender is sagging in the lane, making life hard on the team's best player.
Moving Kuzma to the bench would eliminate the spacing issues his poor shooting caused. This would also allow Kuzma to play in a more familiar role, similar to the one he played in Washington as a primary scoring option. It would also allow him to play more at the four spot, where he can take advantage of his quickness and athleticism going to the basket.
What makes Kuzma a good player is his ability to get downhill, especially on the fast break. Having him play the power forward spot would allow him to beat his defender down the floor more consistently and put him in a better position to have success. Kuzma could essentially be the Giannis of the bench lineup by putting pressure on the defense (especially in transition) and creating shots for his teammates.
With him leading the bench, Kuzma would be able to take advantage of playing against the other teams' second unit as well. He can be more aggressive when he is on the floor, hunt mismatches at power forward, take more shots, and not feel like he is stealing attempts from players like Giannis and Damian Lillard.
Kuzma coming off the bench would help the coaching staff maintain flexibility. They can give him more minutes on the nights that things are going well and pull his minutes back when he is off. With the potential of Bobby Portis either leaving in free agency or taking on a starting role at center, there is a prime opportunity for Kuzma to replace him as the spark off the bench moving forward.