The Milwaukee Bucks are on the brink of elimination, down 3-1 against the Indiana Pacers. While many figured the Bucks vs Pacers series would be one of the more competitive first round playoff series, the Bucks have continued to show they are the worse team. Despite the star power of Giannis Antetokounmpo, few other Bucks have pulled their weight through four games. While Kyle Kuzma has received a lot of flak for extremely poor performances, some advanced stats reveal that it may be even worse than many fans think,
Kyle Kuzma Has Had An Awful Postseason
When Kyle Kuzma was acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks on February 7th, 2025, the expectation was that Kuzma would prove more useful than an aging Khris Middleton in helping the Bucks perform in the playoffs and get them back towards the NBA Finals. So far, Kuzma has been exceedingly bad in the postseason.
In Kuzma’s first playoff game in a Bucks uniform (his first playoff game since 2021), he has an impressively bad 0 counting stats in 21 minutes played. 0-5 with no points, rebounds, assists, steals, or blocks to account for, Kuzma’s shocking performance joined the NBA meme genre popularized by former Bucks forward Tony Snell.
Kyle Kuzma decided to honor Tony Snell today💀😂 pic.twitter.com/dJrjJM5Zb9
— NoLimitTeek (@NoLimitTeek) April 19, 2025
Kyle Kuzma just re created the Tony Snell meme 😭 pic.twitter.com/f7Y0fl586X
— Sports Legacy (@Sports_Legacyy) April 19, 2025
Even former NBA All-Star Demarcus Cousins commented on Kuzma’s horrific outing, saying that he never thought Snell’s infamously bad stat line would be topped.
“I never thought I’d see a guy outdo Tony Snell.” – @boogiecousins
Kyle Kuzma’s performance on Saturday night was not what the Bucks had in mind when they traded Khris Middleton away, but hopefully Kuz bounces back like we all expect in Game 2 💪 pic.twitter.com/l83vzO9JeA
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) April 21, 2025
Three games later, Kuzma has not been much better. He had 12 points in a Game 2 loss, was decent in Game 3, which the Bucks won, and in Game 4, had just 3 points on 1-6 shooting, resulting in the forward being limited to just 16 minutes.
Perusing box scores will reveal Kuzma’s ineffectiveness, but some advanced stats reveal that Kuzma has played even worse than the box scores indicate.
Advanced Stats Highlight Kyle Kuzma As One of the Worst Postseason Performers
In terms of plus/minus, a stat showcasing a team’s point differential with a given player on or off the floor, Kuzma’s +/- indicts him as a detriment to his team. In just 88 minutes, Kuzma has allowed the Pacers to outscore Milwaukee by 42 points.
Even more damning is Kuzma’s net rating, another stat that highlights a team’s adjusted point differential. At -25.72, Kuzma has one of the worst net ratings in this year’s postseason. Even key players on the Memphis Grizzlies like Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant, who have been blown out by the Oklahoma City Thunder en route to being swept, have higher figures than Kuzma, despite the 50-point loss in Game 1.
Kuzma has as many fouls as made field goals in the series, and more turnovers than three-pointers made. While some doubted the Kuzma trade back in February, and others defended it as Kuzma began to play well down the stretch of the regular season, with the Bucks down 3-1 and one loss away from another first-round loss, it’s safe to say the Kuzma trade has been a disaster.
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