Kyle Kuzma gave the Milwaukee Bucks a reminder on the floor that he is not ready to hand over the starting power forward job.
What had looked like a fairly safe bet earlier in the preseason has turned into a real competition, with coach Taylor Jenkins continuing to mix and match his rotations. That included a surprising start for Kel'el Ware in Kuzma's place in game two, a move that put the spotlight squarely on Kuzma heading into Milwaukee’s third preseason game.
He responded in the Bucks’ tough loss to Charlotte with one of the few bright spots for Milwaukee. Kuzma put up 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting, added four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, and slid back into the starting five, at least for the moment. It was a clear step up from his 1-point showing in the opener, even if the numbers themselves don’t scream headline performance.
The bigger story was how he got there. Kuzma ran the floor in transition, attacked the rim, and knocked down a couple of smooth shots from deep.
On the other end, he stayed active with his hands and came away with two steals. The rebounding mattered too, especially for a Bucks team that can use every extra board it can get.
That one game won’t settle anything, and it certainly doesn’t lock Kuzma into the starting role. But it did show him fighting back after the threat of losing the spot became very real.
Ware has been strong throughout the exhibition slate, so another quiet night from Kuzma would have only strengthened Ware’s case. Instead, Jenkins now has more to weigh.
With two preseason games left, Milwaukee still has a few decisions hanging in the balance. The roster logjam is one piece of it, but the starting five is the biggest question mark of all. The rest of the lineup looks largely settled, which makes the power forward battle the one everyone is watching.
It would not be a surprise if both Kuzma and Ware get another start before the preseason ends. Jenkins may want one more look at how each fits alongside the other four starters before making a final call.
For Kuzma, the pressure is obvious. With a starting job and his next contract both in play, he has every reason to treat this battle like it matters.
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