Former Wizards Forward Kyle Kuzma Struggling with Bucks in Postseason

The Kyle Kuzma trade to the Milwaukee Bucks requires no full revisitation.

The Washington Wizards more or less cleaned up in the transaction, acquiring Milwaukee veteran Khris Middleton alongside a first-round rookie prospect in AJ Johnson. That return would've looked a lot less lopsided if Kuzma were capable of at least matching the production the Bucks have squeezed out of Middleton over the last few years, with the former All-Star and NBA Champion slowly succumbing to the injury bug after years of wear as Milwaukee's go-to perimeter scoring option.

There was hope that Kuzma, a former rotational piece on the title-winning Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, could return to his more prototypical 3&D role with a touch of creative scoring and rebounding after a few years of getting his shots up in Washington.

Now that we've had two months since the trade to analyze his fit with the Bucks, it appears like he may have lost access to that switch, an especially disastrous realization for all parties involved now that he and his team find themselves down 0-2 to the Pacers in the first round of the playoffs after consecutive Kuzma duds.

Kyle Kuzma this playoffs:

6.0 PPG
1.5 RPG
33.3 FG%
0.0 3P%
50.0 FT%

in 26.3 MPG. pic.twitter.com/B9UPR2cgnj
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 23, 2025

Remember, this was a move that Kuzma himself helped force. A year after declining a trade to Dallas after he didn't see the Mavericks as serious contenders, the forward evidently got tired of what he saw as rebuild purgatory, stating in his final days that he was more interested in finding his own rhythm than helping the team develop.

Asked what he meant by not trying to fit in, Kuzma said, "I mean just not trying to fit into what we're trying to do here. Just being more assertive, demanding the ball, not just going out there and trying to let people develop. Just playing my game."

Kuzma finished with a… https://t.co/sygK4eSyFn
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) January 26, 2025

He initially seemed excited to suit up alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, two bona fide All-NBA candidates who looked to take advantage of a wide-open Eastern Conference and get back into the depths of the playoffs after injuries shorted Milwaukee's last few campaigns.

Giannis could use Kuzma now more than ever, entering the series without Lillard. While the future Hall of Fame point guard missed the last month and Game 1 of the playoffs with deep vein thrombosis, Kuzma looked like he'd potentially step in as a second scorer, but he's failed to elevate his shaky numbers since moving to the midwest.

Giannis in his last 6 healthy playoff games:

34.8 PPG
53% FG
17.2 RPG
6.5 APG

0-6 record pic.twitter.com/LQC7rmirK5
— Matt (@sixringsofsteeI) April 23, 2025

The internet had a field day with his debut as a playoff starter on Saturday, a disastrous outing in which he went 0/5 in notching any points, assists, rebounds, steals or blocks over 22 minutes, recreating the infamous Tony Snell stat line as the Bucks suffered an embarrassing 117-98 loss.

Antetokounmpo slaved away for 34 points in last night's matchup in Game 2 to give him 70 total points on the young series, but again, his Bucks lost, 123-115. Kuz, for his part, got a few buckets to fall, but could only reach 12 points in what turned out to be a winnable game as the Pacers barely avoided a late collapse.

This is allegedly the situation that the Wizards veteran wanted, suddenly switching up on his patience in a situation prioritizing a long-term plan and fleeing to the win-now Bucks. It's now become clear to everyone else that between their lack of prospects and functional role players, which may or may not include Kuzma these days, their ship has sailed, even in the inferior conference.

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