The flaw that plagued Kyle Kuzma the most in his first few months with the Milwaukee Bucks was his poor shot diet. He played like someone who had the green light to take any shot he wanted, even if it involved ill-timed turnarounds, poorly constructed layups, or pull-up mid-range jumpers. Doc Rivers is working to cut that out of his arsenal as Kuzma gears up for his first full season in Milwaukee.
"Kuz's key is just his shot profile, getting that to where it should be. In Washington, he could take literally any shot. In those five years in Washington, he took a ton of mid-range shots, and that's just not what we want, and so he got the message. I mean, he took threes and layups today, and it was great."
Bucks need Kuzma to take Doc's words to heart
Doc Rivers hit the nail on the head. Kuzma is at his best when he isn't playing like he's the focal point of the offense and taking shots out of his wheelhouse. The most obvious evidence of this is his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, especially when he helped them win a title in 2020. He's a role player, and when he embraces that, he can be a great one.
There have been glimpses of that version of Kuzma in Milwaukee. As broken down recently, there was a 10-game stretch last season where Kuzma averaged 15.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per contest while shooting 53 percent from the floor and 42 percent from deep. He was fully bought in, and if the Bucks can reignite that spark within Kyle Kuzma, he could be a significant contributor.
The biggest question mark regarding his shots will revolve around the 3-pointers. It has never been one of his strengths, but if he wants to play next to Giannis Antetokounmpo, especially as a starter, it is a shot he must knock down more often. If he does, great. If he doesn't, it will make it harder for him to play major minutes. This group wants to be a lethal perimeter shooting team. No liabilities.
Kuzma should be incredibly motivated after last season's playoff drop-off. He was a liability for the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 5.8 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 34.4 percent from the floor. A repeat of that could be the nail in the coffin for the Bucks. All they can do is hope that the forward is ready to turn the tide by embracing the role Milwaukee desperately needs from him.
It's a small sample size, but it's great to hear that Kyle Kuzma is already playing to his strengths in the early stages of training camp. Now, it will be all about hammering the point home at every single turn.
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