A recent curse was lifted on Tuesday night as the Milwaukee Bucks took down the New York Knicks on national television. Kyle Kuzma returned to the rotation after an ankle injury previously sidelined him, and his value was clearly on display with brilliant defense, especially on Karl-Anthony Towns.
Kuzma's impact was felt on both ends of the floor
Milwaukee struggled with the Knicks last season; they couldn't match their speed or athleticism. This new-look roster certainly could handle them and ran out as 10-point winners. Ryan Rollins will take a lot of attention and plaudits following his 25-point performance, but Kuzma bolstered the physicality of the team defensively and gave them a needed spark.
His absence against Cleveland on Sunday was clearly felt, with Gary Trent Jr., AJ Green, and Taurean Prince struggling with the Cavaliers' wings. Kuzma spent a lot of Tuesday's game defending Towns, and he did more than just upset the Knicks center. Towns missed all four field goal attempts and was forced into a turnover when he was guarded by Kuzma, with his only points coming via a pair of free throws.
The former Washington Wizards wing has found his spot on the Bucks' roster as an impact player off the bench. His ability to guard bigger players, but also have the ability to stay with those quicker, athletic players, is much-needed for the Bucks. Doc Rivers made a bold call to move away from using center Bobby Portis to guard Towns, and the gamble really paid off.
Offensively, Kuzma has gone away from what frustrated Bucks fans last season and has started this season as a more complementary piece for the team. His minutes are down, but his shot attempts are down from 11.9 to 5.7, with his efficiency now at 52.9 percent. He has cut back on the 3-point attempts as well, currently taking just 1.3 per game compared to 4.6 with the Bucks last season.
Against the Knicks, Kuzma wasn't too involved on offense, just taking two field goal attempts, but that physicality in how he is playing to start the season allowed him to make 5-of-6 (83.3 percent) from the free throw line.
Amir Coffey has started the season slowly, but against the Knicks, he really showed what he can bring to this team. Prince was relied on heavily as a wing last season for the Bucks. He now looks better and more comfortable in this wing rotation that Rivers is going with. Milwaukee's wing positions are holding up better than most people thought.
The games won't get any easier with the Golden State Warriors in town on Thursday, but the 3-1 start for the Bucks has been littered with positives, including Kuzma.