With Giannis Antetokounmpo out for Wednesday's game against Charlotte, the Milwaukee Bucks started Kyle Kuzma in his place for the second time this season. And for the second time this season, he underwhelmed as a starter, going 3-of-12 from the field for eight points. In case the team had any ideas about experimenting with his role, Kuzma only gave the Bucks another reason to stand firm.
Bright lights as starter again proved too much for Kuzma
Whatever it is, coming off the bench seems to make Kuzma a lot more comfortable. Playing in Giannis' shoes as the starting power forward, he is prone to forcing it. On Wednesday against the Hornets, he missed all three of his shots outside the paint and converted just three of nine within it. He committed a traveling turnover. He just looked a little out of sync.
Kuzma was better against the Warriors, going 4-of-10 with eight boards and four assists, but he also committed four turnovers. Especially lately, he has played far better in a reserve role. In his past six games off the bench, he averaged 17.2 points on efficient shooting splits. He even started sticking some threes.
The difference between starter Kuzma versus bench Kuzma could not be more starkly juxtaposed than it was over the Bucks' last two contests. He just had a 26-point outing against Dallas, where he came up clutch with a pair of fourth-quarter threes and 10 points in the final period overall. It was, in fact, his highest-scoring game as a Buck. In Charlotte, he entered the starting five and disappointed.
As a member of the second unit, Kuzma has looked locked in on both ends of the floor. For the most part, he plays within himself. In part, that might have to do with playing alongside Giannis rather than without him, since Kuzma only starts when Antetokounmpo sits. With his gravity and playmaking, Giannis makes everyone better.
Somewhat contrary to concerns about their combined lack of shooting, he and Kuzma have also played off each other quite well. In nine games averaging 10.3 minutes on the floor, the two of them have generated a box-score plus-minus of 5.4.
Excluding those involving part of Kevin Porter Jr.'s nine minutes this season, that is the second-best of any Bucks two-man lineup this season. Only Giannis and Prince (plus-7.1), in roughly half the minutes, rank higher as a duo.
It isn't just about playing with Giannis, though. The Giannis-Kuzma minutes account for less than half his overall playing time off the bench. Whether due to pressure or schematics, Kuzma seems to inhabit a different mindset in a bench role, operating in a supplementary rather than a primary function, which makes him much more effective.
In his reps as a starter, he hasn't made a convincing case that he should replace Gary Trent Jr. at the three, despite the latter's struggles. Perhaps Trent isn't the answer, but Kuzma isn't either.
Deployed on a regular basis, de facto triple-big lineups with Giannis, Kuzma, and Myles Turner/Bobby Portis would be impossibly clunky. Kuzma is a weapon off the bench and underwhelming otherwise. Comparing the Charlotte and Dallas games should be all the proof Milwaukee needs not to make a habit of trotting him out at tipoff.