Kyle Kuzma’s fit a problem for Bucks, Echoing Wizards' issues

Title: Bucks get a taste of Wizards' pain with Kuzma’s recent playoff showing

Earlier this season Kyle Kuzma was traded from the Washington Wizards to the Milwaukee Bucks. That move must have felt like a situational upgrade for Kuzma, who would get a chance to play meaningful basketball once again for the first time since being traded away from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021.

Surely he was not expecting his first playoff game in four years to result in him posting a “trillion,” which is when a player logs zeroes across all box score statistics.

No points, no rebounds, no assists, no steals, no blocks, no makes from anywhere on the floor, including the free throw line. The Bucks were also outscored by 24 points with Kuzma on the floor in a 19-point loss.

I like Kuzma as a player, and in theory he could be a really solid connective piece as a fifth starter type of player for a serious team. However, just as he was in Washington, Kuzma is miscast as a top offensive creator and simply bears too much responsibility on the court. This is especially true with Damian Lillard recently being out with a blood clot, though help is on the way with Lillard set to return in either Game 2 or Game 3. 

I recently wrote a piece discussing how Kristaps Porzingis was similarly miscast as a primary offensive option in Washington before settling into his new role with the Boston Celtics as a rim protector and floor-spacing big. Porzingis has been absolutely unlocked in his new role and has a championship to show for it.

Kuzma’s trade to Milwaukee was supposed to yield results similar to what Porzingis provided the Celtics. Instead, he’s been set up to fail by being an awkward lineup fit and bearing too much responsibility on offense, and his “trillion” is just a sign of how that is working out.

Kuzma provided a blueprint for how he can be a championship-level NBA player early in his career with the Lakers. He is at his best when he is primarily used as a rebounder and defender who can knock down open shots if need be but is not the primary scouting report for the opposing team’s defense.

I really like Kuzma and hope he bounces back over the course of the remainder of the series and helps keep the Bucks at least competitive with the Pacers, because otherwise we could be staring down a massive roster teardown in Milwaukee. I would think that anything south of pushing the Pacers to six games means we’re going to be hearing Giannis trade rumors all summer long.