Now that the dust has settled this offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks need an athletic forward who can be depended on to score the ball consistently on a nightly basis. Oddly enough, they have that player type on the roster in Kyle Kuzma, but his play last season was so poor that many fans have given up hope on him being the player his team needs this coming season.
Kyle Kuzma holds the keys to a successful Bucks season
Fans of the team have been calling for a trade involving Kyle Kuzma in an attempt to land a player who can be more reliable and fit next to Giannis in Milwaukee's system. Despite apparent efforts by the front office to shop Kuzma, nothing thus far has come to fruition. This leaves Milwaukee Bucks fans wondering what role Kuzma will play for the team next year.
The idea behind trading for Kuzma at last year's deadline was pretty straightforward. The Bucks needed to get more athletic, younger, and to replace Khris Middleton with a player who could be more available on a nightly basis. Kuzma checked all of those boxes almost immediately, but after his poor play in the playoffs, most fans think the trade only yielded the team much-needed cap relief under the second apron.
The one thing that must change if this season is not just a repeat of last year is Kuzma's shooting percentage, particularly from the 3-point line. When you play in lineups with Giannis Antetokounmpo, you must be able to space the floor to allow him to get in the paint and finish. Too often last year, Kuzma's inability to shoot clogged the paint for Giannis, leading to poor offensive possessions.
If Kuzma isn't able to consistently shoot well from three and finish consistently when he gets to the rim, the team's clear-cut best small forward (and secondary scorer) can't play with the team's best player. Right now, as the roster sits aside from Giannis, there isn't a single player you can point to and say they are capable of getting me 20 points per game every night. That player was supposed to be Kuzma. The question is, will a full offseason as a Buck be enough to make that happen?
One thing is clear: the success or failure of this Bucks team, for better or worse, depends on Kyle Kuzma being a much better player next year. Whether it's to boost his trade value or bring to pass the vision Jon Horst had at the deadline last year, Kuzma has to be better. Otherwise, his time in Milwaukee and the team's hopes of contending in the East are likely over.