The Bucks got an early look at a lineup problem that could linger all season: Kyle Kuzma and Jaime Jaquez Jr. together make life harder on everyone else.
Milwaukee’s preseason opener made that point loud and clear. The Bucks started both forwards, and the offense never found much rhythm.
Kuzma and Jaquez are both non-shooters, and the result was a cramped floor that gave the defense plenty of room to smother drives and sit on passing lanes. Milwaukee shot just 33% from the field in that game, with Kuzma going 0-of-2 from three and Jaquez finishing 1-of-4 from deep.
Game 2 looked different almost immediately. Kuzma didn’t play, Jaquez was the lone non-shooter in the starting five, and the Bucks scored more effectively in a narrow win over the Thunder. Milwaukee shot 46% from the field, and Jaquez looked far more comfortable, knocking down 3-of-7 from three and finishing with 13 points.
The three-point numbers weren’t even the whole story. Milwaukee actually made more threes in the opener than in Game 2, 16 to 14, and shot a slightly better percentage from deep in the first game, 34% to 32%.
But the spacing was better with Kuzma off the floor, and that changed everything else about the offense. The Bucks had more room to operate, more clean driving lanes, and more chances to create something before the defense could load up.
That’s the challenge facing Taylor Jenkins. Milwaukee should have enough shooting on the roster in theory, but getting it all on the floor at once is another matter.
Some of the team’s shooters bring other issues - defense, size, or playmaking - that can keep them from logging major minutes. That could leave Jenkins having to use Jaquez and Kuzma together at times anyway.
The problem is that the forward rotation is much thinner than the backcourt. Until Nate Ament is ready to take over a starting job, Kuzma and Jaquez may be the only proven forwards on the roster unless Kel'el Ware can play alongside another center regularly.
Ware gave the Bucks a different look in Game 2 when he replaced Kuzma in the starting lineup. He added spacing both vertically and horizontally, attempted four threes, and finished alley-oops when his defender helped too much on Milwaukee drivers. If Ware can hold up defensively as a forward, he could end up being a much better fit for the Bucks’ offense.
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For Milwaukee fans, there is also a familiar twist here. Kuminga was a player the Bucks had looked at during the offseason before he ultimately landed with Minnesota, and his first outing only adds to the debate about how cleanly his game fits next to other frontcourt pieces. The performance was choppy enough to leave questions hanging, especially for a player whose role is already under the microscope. [Read more 🡒]