Kyle Kuzma's first few months in a Milwaukee Bucks jersey were not pretty to say the least. The obvious solution is for him to cut out the erratic drives and contested 3-pointers, two things that often derailed his possessions, which the Bucks must hammer home to him on a consistent basis.
Moving on from a franchise legend in Khris Middleton and the potential of AJ Johnson was always going to spark controversy. Granted, Kuzma helped the team get younger and more athletic, while also greatly benefiting the finances. Yet, his play in Washington did not fill fans with optimism, and his dismal playoff performances just reinforced the anger. Kuzma's road to redemption starts here; otherwise, he'll be the first name on the chopping block for Jon Horst.
Kuzma and the Bucks need him to play smart basketball
When the former NBA Champion arrived in Milwaukee, the hope was that he would be reinvigorated by playing on a team that was trying to contend, and he would find his spark again. In the regular season, he averaged 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on shooting splits of .455/.333/.663 in 33 games.
Those numbers don't look so bad until the playoffs happened. 5.8 points and 2.2 rebounds on splits of .343/.200/.500 resulted in him being benched in the Game 5 defeat to the Indiana Pacers. No one can forget his Game 1 performance, where he failed to register a single stat (other than two personal fouls) in 22 minutes.
A big feature of his game was erratic layups, trying to force contact. On multiple occasions, the Bucks would be caught away as Kuzma fell to the floor, and the youthful Pacers could spring a 5-on-4 fast break. Kuzma shot a pretty dismal 40.3 percent between five and nine feet during the regular season, a statistic he needs to improve, and also be smarter with.
One problem for him now with the new iteration of the Bucks is the 3-point shooting around Giannis Antetokounmpo. There has been plenty of conversation around 'Point Giannis' and allowing him to dictate the offense with four shooters surrounding him. Their shooting puts them in a much more complementary spot around Giannis than the former Wizard.
Shooting 33.3 percent from deep won't cut it. Delving a little deeper, 20 percent from the right corner is a big area of weakness for Kuzma. Making four of 20 attempts from a corner is not ideal. P.J. Tucker has made a living as a player and won a ring with the Bucks thanks to this skill set.
Plenty of people have said they want Kuzma to play like he did on the title-winning Los Angeles Lakers team in the bubble. That was five years ago. A lot can happen in the world of sports in five years. That said, there is an NBA player there with Kuzma clearly, and Milwaukee's coaching staff and perhaps teammates need to hammer home what they need from him.
It could very much be a make-or-break season for Kuzma and how his NBA career shapes out moving forward. A 15-point-per-game wing is valuable and can dictate the success of a team. Unlocking it and finding the right spot for him is where work is needed; otherwise, his contract is expiring in the 2026-27 season, and Horst is not scared to make big calls.
Cut out the erratic layups and contested threes, make smart basketball plays, and both the Milwaukee Bucks and Kuzma will have a successful season.