Bucks Film Room Notebook: Preseason Opener At Heat

The Milwaukee Bucks opened their preseason with a 103–93 win over the Miami Heat on Monday night.

The Bucks have emphasized getting up more threes this season, and they wasted no time testing that goal—launching 41 of them in the opener. The results weren’t pretty, as they connected on just 13 for a 31.7 percent clip. That’s to be expected in Game 1, but it’s an early sign of the stylistic shift Milwaukee wants to make.

Milwaukee played its starters and main rotation players through the first half before emptying the bench after halftime. Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out entirely, giving others a chance to find their rhythm.

I watched the game twice to dig deeper into the film and see what stood out on second viewing. Here are the main takeaways.

Kyle Kuzma

Kyle Kuzma has been one of the most talked-about Bucks all offseason, so I spent every second of his minutes watching closely—both on and off the ball. His stat line (two points on 1-for-6 shooting, eight rebounds, one assist, and one turnover in 17 minutes) summed up his night pretty well. U-G-L-Y.

With Antetokounmpo out, Kuzma started at the 4, his most natural position, which is where Milwaukee should plan to use him most this season.

Kuzma’s Offense

He spent much of his time parked in the weakside corner. When involved, it was typically as a screener or running in semi-transition.

Four of his six attempts came right at the rim, and another was a catch-and-shoot three. The other was a tough, contested, step-back mid-range J. Yuck.

Most of those looks were generated off straight-line drives. He scored Milwaukee’s first bucket of the game but missed his next five shots, showing little creativity around the rim. One layup attempt was swatted off the backboard by a trailing Bam Adebayo, underscoring his tentative play with the ball.

That hesitation is concerning. Kuzma looked uncomfortable handling the rock, similar to stretches from last season when his confidence seemed shaken. That same uncertainty was visible here.

Still, there were flashes of good playmaking.

One nice sequence came when he grabbed a rebound, pushed the ball up the floor, and threw it ahead to Kevin Porter Jr. on the right. Porter returned it to Kuzma in the middle, who quickly swung it to Gary Trent Jr. in the opposite corner for a clean three—though it didn’t fall.

Later, Kuzma found Ryan Rollins for a made weakside corner three and tallied a hockey assist after making the right read to kickstart the ball movement.

Kuzma’s Defense

Kuzma was relatively quiet, often guarding Nikola Jović off-ball. He didn’t show much aggression but did a solid job cleaning the glass, grabbing eight defensive rebounds. He has a tendency to turn his head to watch the ball, sometimes losing Jović in the process.

After starting the game, he was the only starter to begin the second half. The opening lineup after halftime—Rollins, Gary Harris, Amir Coffey, Kuzma, and Jericho Sims—might hint at how the coaching staff views his place in the rotation right now.

Quick Takeaways

• The ball stuck too often in Kevin Porter Jr.’s hands. He tended to over-dribble and hunt for his own shot.
• He hit some, but six mid-range jumpers is probably more than the coaching staff wants moving forward.
• Ryan Rollins and Cole Anthony look nearly identical on TV—similar size, same white undershirts, even matching hairstyles.
• Rollins’ defense was excellent. He deflected passes and forced several turnovers.
• Anthony had a few nice bounce passes to Sims out of the pick-and-roll.
• Still, his defense remains a concern. His size limits him on that end.
• Jericho Sims’ offensive absence was glaring—15 minutes, one shot attempt, zero points.
• Milwaukee ran the Spain pick-and-roll at least three times in the first half, a set worth keeping an eye on.
• Gary Harris and Amir Coffey didn’t play in the first half.
• Andre Jackson Jr. brought great defensive energy at the point of attack but still committed too many fouls.