The Milwaukee Bucks are trying something new next season – well, new-ish, since the offense has orbited the Giannis Antetokounmpo sun since ancient history. In 2025-26, though, unless the Bucks make a major move in the waning free agency market, it looks like he won’t have a standard point guard helping him run the show. Lining the perimeter with snipers will be more important than ever to space the floor and create efficient offense as Giannis assumes fullblown point-forward duties. As great as he is, the shooting weapons or lack thereof around him might be the deciding factor in how the offense performs next year. In that area, both sparkling upside and glaring weakness have a home on Milwaukee’s roster.
Milwaukee Bucks Marksmen Among Best Last Season
Not a lot of Bucks fans are ga-ga for Taurean Prince after the Pacers played him out of the rotation in the playoffs. It’s easy to forget that his 43.9% three-point percentage led the team in the regular season. In fact, per data compiled by NBA University, Prince was so good on catch-and-shoot opportunities that he topped the entire league in efficiency.
Calculated as (FGM + 0.5 3PM)/FGA, an EFG% of 74 put significant distance between Prince and everyone else. Third-year sharpshooter AJ Green also made the list, clocking in at no. 10.
As both take the vast majority of their shots from beyond the arc, their high efficiency ratings result directly from proficient sniping. Among Milwaukee’s regular rotation players, Green finished second by shooting 42.7% on triples. As a whole, the Bucks paced the NBA at 38.7%
Next season, Prince, Green, and other role players will need to do something similar for the offense to reach its ceiling. Gone are the 24.9 points per game supplied by Damian Lillard. Gone are his facilitator skills at point guard.
Instead, Milwaukee will run through Giannis, who has never shot threes well and consciously scaled back his attempts in 2024-25. As Antetokounmpo backs down in the post, draws double teams, or drives downhill off screens, Bucks shooters must capitalize on kickouts with lethal efficiency. Without a true second or even a great third option – Kevin Porter Jr. is the team’s next best and perhaps only other real ball handler – they don’t have another choice.
Kyle Kuzma Is Major Problem in New-Look System
Unfortunately, Kyle Kuzma’s shooting struggles may hold them back. On the surface, his numbers between the Bucks and Wizards last season were poor but not necessarily atrocious: 14.8 PPG, 43.6 FG%, 30.7% from deep. Bad, ok, but league-worst?
He was a bit better in Milwaukee, at least until he too was benched in the postseason. But his 47.0 EFG% on catch-and-shoot chances, on fairly high volume, ranked 9th worst. Because of his poor free-throw shooting, he also sank to the bottom in true shooting percentage.
Given his other offensive limitations – not a good facilitator, questionable decision-making, not great off the bounce – Milwaukee can’t afford that kind of mediocrity on a critical and relatively simple shooting task.
With several months of offseason left, the Bucks should explore every possible avenue for unloading Kuzma. He doesn’t have a positive place on a team model of Giannis-plus-role players, predicated on a supporting cast that isn’t flashy but can do what’s asked. That means converting spot-up chances. Based on Milwaukee’s projected offensive scheme next season, there might not be starker circumstances for addition by subtraction.
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