Obviously, the Milwaukee Bucks won't come out and flat-out say that they are looking to trade away Kyle Kuzma, but recent comments sound like they envision big things for him. In a new interview with The Athletic's Eric Nehm, Jon Horst, the general manager, made it clear that this franchise still firmly believes in Kuzma, saying that familiarity and continuity will be big for him moving forward as he looks to bounce back from a rough close to last season.
Bucks need an entirely different Kyle Kuzma next season
In addition to having more familiarity with his teammates and coaches, Horst made it clear that the ability to play more power forward, his natural position, could help Kuzma. Upon his arrival last year, Kuzma started as Milwaukee's small forward, a role he hasn't played much in his career. Coming off the bench as Giannis Antetokounmpo's backup could let him play from his true spot, which, in theory, could help him feel more comfortable.
Even then, Kuzma will have more work to do. Defensively, he was largely fine, accepting matchups given to him and doing well. However, the offensive end, especially close to the hoop, was a much different story.
On his shot attempts in the paint but outside of the restricted area, Kuzma shot a brutal 36-of-92 (39.1 percent) as a Buck. In the NBA Playoffs, he was disastrous at the rim, shooting a mere 4-of-13 (30.8 percent) in the restricted area. Every single time he drove to the hoop, he looked like a man without a plan, oftentimes resulting in a wild, unnecessary shot that was basically a turnover.
That (one of many issues) cannot happen again.
To be clear, even with Horst's comments, there's no guarantee that Kuzma is on Milwaukee's roster by opening night next season. Again, Horst can't come out and say he's looking to trade Kuzma, but he is always lurking in the shadows looking to improve this roster, as evidenced by the out of nowhere deal to bring in Myles Turner.
If the right deal pops up and requires Kyle Kuzma's inclusion, the Milwaukee Bucks could pounce on the opportunity. If not, they seem content with bringing him back - at least to start the NBA season. There is no telling how things may look by the NBA Trade Deadline, where Kuzma may have rehabbed his value or worsened it more.
Only time will tell how the Kyle Kuzma experiment pans out, but if nothing transpires, the man calling the shots seems fine with bringing him back. Given how poorly he played last season, that would be quite the risk, but it could pay off in a big way if the forward does indeed turn things around.
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