The Milwaukee Bucks are running out of runway-and Kyle Kuzma isn’t sugarcoating it.
After Thursday night’s 109-99 loss to the Washington Wizards, their fourth straight defeat and seventh in the last eight games, the Bucks are now 18-28 and sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference. They’re four games out of the play-in picture, Giannis Antetokounmpo is sidelined with a calf strain, and trade rumors are swirling around the two-time MVP. Even if he stays in Milwaukee beyond the deadline, the writing’s on the wall: a shutdown is on the table, and the Bucks are teetering on the edge of irrelevance this season.
Thursday’s game was a snapshot of everything that’s gone wrong for Milwaukee. The Bucks trailed the Wizards-yes, the 12-win Wizards-virtually all night.
They made a late push, trimming a double-digit deficit to just two points after Myles Turner drilled a three off a Kyle Kuzma assist with 90 seconds left. But that was the end of the road.
The Wizards closed the game on an 8-0 run, walking out of Fiserv Forum with their third win in four meetings against Milwaukee this season.
After the game, Kuzma-who posted a strong line of 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists-was asked about the Bucks’ late-game fight. His answer cut through the noise.
“I think it just shows we don’t have a sense of urgency, you know?” Kuzma said.
“You could look at it one way that we’re resilient, we can get back, but we can’t keep doing that to ourselves. We’ve done this so many games this year.”
That’s not just frustration talking-it’s an honest diagnosis. The Bucks have made a habit of sleepwalking through the first three quarters, only to flip the switch late and hope it’s not too late.
Sometimes it works. Most of the time, it doesn’t.
Take the recent 102-100 loss to Denver. Milwaukee clawed back into that game late, too, but came up short-and lost Giannis in the process to a calf injury. It’s been the same script, over and over: slow start, frantic finish, disappointing result.
The problem isn’t effort-it’s timing. The Bucks don’t lack fight; they just wait too long to bring it.
“I think if we bring that same edge and an urgency earlier then we’d probably have a different type of [result],” Kuzma added.
That urgency Kuzma’s talking about? It’s been missing for most of the season.
Whether it’s sluggish rotations on defense, stagnant ball movement, or just a general lack of energy, Milwaukee hasn’t looked like a team with playoff aspirations. And at this point, the standings agree.
Now, let’s be clear: this is not a team that should be losing to the Wizards. But when you’re 46 games into the season and still searching for consistency, maybe it’s time to accept the reality that this version of the Bucks just isn’t built to win right now.
And that’s where the bigger picture comes into play.
Milwaukee is owed the least favorable of its own and the Pelicans’ first-round pick this year. Both are trending toward the top 8.
So from a front office perspective, leaning into the draft lottery might be the most strategic move. Chasing the 10th seed and a spot in the play-in tournament only delays the inevitable.
Kuzma’s comments weren’t just about one game-they were about the entire season. The Bucks have been playing from behind all year, both in games and in the standings. And unless something changes dramatically (and quickly), that pattern isn’t going to break.
So where do they go from here? That’s a question the front office has to answer in the coming days with the trade deadline looming.
But on the court, the message is clear: urgency can’t be optional anymore. If the Bucks want to salvage anything from this season, they’ll have to stop waiting for the fourth quarter to show up.
Because right now, the clock’s running out.