The Milwaukee Bucks made a major move at the NBA trade deadline, acquiring stretch forward Kyle Kuzma from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Khris Middleton. The goal was to bring in a versatile scorer who could shoot and defend—filling a key need for the playoff push.
However, after game one of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday afternoon, many are already second-guessing the trade. Kuzma delivered what is being called one of the worst postseason performances by a starter in NBA history.
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In 22 minutes of action as the starting small forward, Kuzma failed to record a single statistic—zero points, rebounds, assists, steals, or blocks. He went 0-for-5 from the field, 0-for-2 from three, and committed two personal fouls.
According to Real Sports, Kuzma logged the most minutes ever by a starter in a playoff game without recording a single stat. He is also just the sixth player in NBA history that a player recorded zero stats in over 20 minutes played.
NBA fans reacted to the historically bad performance by Kuzma:
“This is impressive,” A fan said.
“Making his Bucks playoff debut with the worst playoff performance of all time, impressive,” Another fan posted.
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“Lights are too bright he only can score on a non playoff team in October,” Someone else added.
One more fan commented, “He should retire from basketball for this.”
Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma.© Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
The Bucks are currently without Damian Lillard, who is expected to return at some point this week. In the meantime, players like Kyle Kuzma will need to step up if Milwaukee hopes to avoid falling into a deeper hole against a Pacers team that was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last year as well.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 36 of the Bucks’ 98 points, adding 12 rebounds, two blocks, one assist, and one steal. However, outside of Antetokounmpo, none of Milwaukee’s starters scored in double figures. AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., and Kevin Porter Jr. all surpassed 10 points—but each came off the bench.
Related: Fans Take Notice of Aaron Gordon’s Surprising Appearance Ahead of NBA Playoffs
