Ever watched a game and thought, “Did that guy even touch the ball?” Yeah, that was Kyle Kuzma in Game 1. Doc Rivers and the Bucks dropped a 117-98 game to the Pacers, and Kuzma? Man, he might as well have been invisible on the stat sheet. He played 22 minutes—enough time to microwave some popcorn, fold laundry, maybe hit a couple threes. But nope. Zero points. Zero rebounds. Zero assists. Zero steals. Zero blocks. Just two fouls. That’s it.

Here’s the kicker—according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, this kind of vanishing act has only happened five other times ever in the playoffs. We’re talking historic-level ghosting here.

The Bucks made a bold move at the trade deadline, flipping a huge page in their story. They shipped out Khris Middleton—a guy who’s basically been part of the team’s identity for years—to land Kuzma. The front office wasn’t just hoping for a slight boost—they were banking on Kuzma unlocking something bigger. A new dynamic. A different gear. So what’s the plan for him now?

Head coach Doc Rivers addressed Kyle Kuzma’s unusually quiet night—and didn’t shy away from the root of the problem. “It’s hard to score when you don’t touch the ball,” Rivers said postgame. “I mean, no offense. I felt, I mean, Kyle—Kyle got two shots in the first half, both with two seconds on the shot clock,” he explained.

The Bucks aren’t just trying to survive the postseason grind — they’re trying to make sense of a roster still finding its offensive identity. And after a lackluster showing, head coach Doc Rivers didn’t hesitate to point out what’s missing.

“So, like Kuzma can play but we got [to] involve him and we got to make sure we keep him involved,” Rivers said. That comment wasn’t just a nod to Kuzma’s talent — it was a veiled critique of Milwaukee’s lack of structure. After investing in Kuzma at the trade deadline, the Bucks haven’t fully tapped into his offensive utility. He’s a connector, a scorer, a mismatch hunter — but too often, he’s been left orbiting the perimeter while the offense stagnates.

From there, Rivers didn’t hold back in pointing fingers elsewhere—namely, toward his own locker room. When asked about Andrew Nembhard’s success both in transition and the half court, who had 17 points, four boards, five dimes, and two steals on his stat sheet, the Bucks coach didn’t mince words.

“Just guard him,” Rivers said bluntly. “We just gotta guard him better.”

He continued, “We allow too many middle drives overall through the game that just never nut—everybody. He’s gonna make a couple twos and no, honestly, we’ll live with the twos.”

But his critique didn’t stop at the defensive end. Rivers shifted to the offense, calling out his team’s poor execution and decision-making from behind the arc.

“You know, we shot 37 threes, but we’re nine for 37,” he said. “But the numbers are—they’re a liar. Like the 37 threes, 25 of them, the passes are too late. You know, you’re open, and then you’re not open. And then we throw it, you know, so we, we didn’t—we didn’t play with any type of offensive rhythm to give our shooters a chance.”

Kuzma echoed that frustration postgame, channeling the same critique from within the locker room.
“I think the biggest thing… we didn’t have the, you know, the right… amount of ball movement. Plain and simple,”he said.

That’s the problem. For a team with top-heavy star power, ball movement isn’t optional — it’s essential. Kuzma thrives when the ball moves, when he’s part of a rhythm offense rather than a static set. And if Milwaukee wants any chance at making noise in a loaded Eastern Conference bracket, integrating Kuzma isn’t just smart — it’s necessary.

Because if they don’t, they’re wasting the very asset they sacrificed to acquire — and exposing themselves defensively at the same time.

Despite the criticism, Rivers tried to end on an optimistic note. “Hey, here’s the good news,” he added. “We know they’re there. We know they’re open. Now, we have to do the right thing.”

And that “right thing” starts with making real-time changes—something Doc’s never exactly been known for.

Doc Rivers needs to adjust his game plan

Let’s be real—Game 1 was a mess for the Bucks. Losing 117-98 at home, with two starters scoring zilch despite logging over 20 minutes? That’s rough. And it wasn’t just the score—it felt off. The offense looked more scrambled than a late-night Waffle House order.

From the jump, you could see the concerns folks had about Milwaukee coming true. Kyle Kuzma’s iso-heavy play stuck out like a sore thumb in a system that needs ball movement. Meanwhile, the bigs—Lopez and Portis—struggled to keep up with Indiana’s floor-stretching duo of Siakam and Turner.

Don’t panic just yet—it’s a seven-game series. But if the Bucks want to stay alive, Doc Rivers has to ditch the whole “stubborn vet coach” routine.

This isn’t about benching anyone for good. Lopez and Portis can still impact games. It’s just that this particular matchup might need a different look. And yeah, that probably means more Giannis at center.

Now here’s where it gets tricky. Giving Giannis those minutes at the five? It’ll likely force guys like Prince and Kuzma into bigger roles. Not everyone’s gonna love that.

But here’s the deal—Rivers can’t wait around hoping things magically click. He’s gotta get in there, experiment with rotations, and find something that works.

The Pacers are fast, versatile, and locked in. If Doc sticks to his old habits, this series could slip away before Milwaukee even figures it out.