Shannon Sharpe had some things to say about Doc Rivers on First Take, especially after the Bucks’ dismal outing in Game 1. He called him out for the way he managed Kyle Kuzma and questioned how a player under his tutelage could finish with zeroes across the statline in the playoffs. This has called into question Rivers’ coaching style (yet again), and whether Kuz should remain in the starting lineup for Game 2.
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To say Kyle Kuzma didn’t make an impact in Game 1 of the Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff series against the Indiana Pacers would be an understatement. Kuz seemingly didn’t even show up to the court. At least, one might be led to believe such just by looking at his statline. Kuzma finished with zero points on 0-5 shooting, with zero rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and even turnovers. It’s as if he didn’t play in the game, despite logging 22 minutes.
That’s why Kuzma was public enemy number one on sports talk shows yesterday. He put together a putrid performance, and it had to be dissected. But when Shannon Sharpe analyzed the play of Kuzma, he aimed his sights in the direction of Rivers.
“Who’s the coach?” Sharpe asked. “How about you diagram a play to get him the ball… I’m confused, Doc. You’re the head coach, and you’re complaining about a guy that’s supposed to be the X-Factor. Isn’t that Doc Rivers’ job? To see his guy is struggling and diagram a play to get him the ball, to get him easy shots.”
Shanoon Sharpe just cooked Doc on ESPN lol pic.twitter.com/EF6cNtVdSO
— Maxence (@Xenceee) April 21, 2025
Sharpe ripped into Rivers and questioned the way he was using Kuzma before blaming it all on the player. But are these comments fair?
Since arriving in Milwaukee, Kuzma has made somewhat of an impact. He’s averaging 14.5 points per game to go along with 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists. So, it’s hard to get too mad at Rivers for not drawing up more plays for Kuzma. He’s not exactly the focal point of the offense.
However, any extra production from Kuz could mean he would turn into an X-Factor, like Sharpe is saying. It would be nice if he could live up to that expectation, but hopefully, Rivers isn’t counting on it too much.
According to the NET rating, Kuzma was the worst player in the NBA this season with a -22. Maybe this is because he played for the lowly Washington Wizards for half of the season. However, some other Wizards players like Jordan Poole only finished the season at -11. So, signs suggest that Kuzma is the issue.
It’s unfortunate, but some players are simply losing types of players who don’t make winning plays when they’re on the court. Kuzma has turned into one of these players. Despite a championship in 2020, Kuz’s game has diminished into a shell of what he used to be.
The Bucks tried to turn aging veteran Khris Middleton into a valuable scoring option in Kuzma, but his recent performance in the playoffs shows why he’s such an unpredictable case.
If Milwaukee is going to stand any chance against the Pacers in this series, it won’t depend on Kuz, but they’re going to need more than a Tony Snell stat line. Some of this is on Rivers, but most should be on Kuzma. Maybe a game coming off the bench is what he needs to get his mind right.
