Kyle

Kuzma

Damian Lillard’s season-ending Achilles tendon tear meant the Bucks would have to make at least one change to their starting lineup. Porter will fill the void left by the perennial All-Star, with Green and Portis also being moved from the bench to the starting five. They replace Kyle Kuzma and Brook Lopez, as Bucks coach Doc Rivers searches for an answer that will keep his team’s season alive.

Kuzma’s historically poor Game 1 performance made plenty of rounds on social media over the last few days, but he was more productive in Game 2. He still wasn’t great, but after getting 22 minutes of cardio in Game 1’s 19-point loss, Kuzma was able to chip in some stats on Tuesday. Way to go Kuz! With the series shifting to Milwaukee for Game 3 on Friday, Kuzma will look to be the player that the Bucks were hoping he’d be when they traded for him at the deadline. The last time he played a game in Milwaukee was the regular season finale; he had 22 points in the first quarter before being shut down for the remainder of that game. We’ll see if he can tap back into that shooting prowess.

The story of Game 1 for the Bucks was the supporting cast letting down Giannis Antetokounmpo with Damian Lillard sidelined. No one was a bigger letdown than Kuzma, the Bucks’ trade deadline acquisition, who failed to record any stats in his 22 minutes. Kuzma was a living embodiment of the Tony Snell meme in Game 1 as the Bucks lost by nine. He’ll look to turn things around over the rest of the series, though overall he certainly hasn’t been as impactful as the Bucks imagined when he was acquired.

Kuzma was the lone starter on the court for Sunday’s regular-season finale and did not get cheated as he went on a heater for a quarter. He was back in street clothes for the second half. While he’s had his moments since joining the Bucks at the February trade deadline, Kuzma has not been as impactful as some may have hoped. Milwaukee will need a player closer to the one they saw on Sunday if they’re to take down the Pacers in the first round.

Kuzma is one of the Bucks’ few healthy rotation players ahead of Sunday’s game. He’ll likely get plenty of looks for his shorthanded squad.

Having secured the fifth seed in the East with their win over the Pistons on Friday, the Bucks will rest most of their key contributors on Sunday. That includes Antetokounmpo, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury. Kyle Kuzma is the lone starter who will be available, but fantasy managers in active leagues should not expect to see him take on a full workload. Bobby Portis and Chris Livingston are also available, with the former being a tricky fantasy play due to his importance to the Bucks.

Both of the Bucks’ center options will sit out the regular season finale. They don’t have any other true centers, so managers should expect to see some smaller lineups featuring Kyle Kuzma, Chris Livingston and Tyler Smith at center.

Kuz and Rollins are the only typical starters that are expected to be available for Milwaukee against Detroit. It’s unclear how much they will play, but they should continue to start to close out the regular season. Kuzma may have to spend time at center with both Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis sidelined.

While Kuzma has been better in Milwaukee than in Washington to begin the season, he has not provided much fantasy value. Thursday’s production in the points, steals and field-goal percentage categories was solid, but the Bucks will likely need more from Kuzma during the playoffs. Milwaukee plays Detroit twice to end the regular season: Friday night on the road and Sunday afternoon at home.

Kuzma hasn’t had a productive season, and a change of scenery didn’t do much to help that. However, he has had some solid performances recently and was able to contribute a full stat line in Thursday’s win. Kuzma has averaged 18.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, three assists, 1.3 blocks and 2.3 threes per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the floor over Milwaukee’s last four games. The blocks are unlikely to stick, but it has been a solid stretch for him. They’ll need him to keep it up with Damian Lillard sidelined.