Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma show incredible potential against the Hornets

The Milwaukee Bucks they didn’t enter the 2025-26 season with much fanfare surrounding them. After all, they reeked of desperation with the way they waived and extended Damian Lillard’s contract only to bring Myles Turner — a good player, but not a game-changer — into the game. But Giannis Antetokounmpo he continues to play at an MVP level, and his teammates are stepping up. As a result, they moved to 8-5 on the season — with their 147-134 win over the Charlotte Hornets giving them their eighth win of the new campaign.

The rotating lineup of teammates strengthened with Antetokounmpo. Ryan Rollins has cemented his role as the starting point guard Kyle Kuzma is experiencing a small renaissance. Kuzma, who started the season on the bench, seems to have woken up. He had a Milwaukee-leading 29 points, 10 rebounds and five assists Friday night in scoring even over Antetokounmpo, who finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and 18 assists.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks defeat the Hornets in an OT thriller and move to 8-5 🦌🍿

Giannis:
25 points
7 jumps
18 assists

Kyle Kuzma:
29 points
10 jumps
5 assists pic.twitter.com/3VILkfepj9

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 15, 2025

Kuzma’s stock has been on a gradual decline over the last year or so, so this is a welcome sign for the Bucks, especially when they traded franchise legend Khris Middleton just to get him.

This is without a doubt Kuzma’s best game as a Bucks player. He shot nearly 65 percent from the field and was very consistent on the boards. Given that Milwaukee is an Antetokounmpo-centric team now that the team is without another All-Star-caliber player, these contributions from players like Kuzma are invaluable and exactly what the Bucks need to excel in a weakened East.

Defense is a major concern for the Bucks

Allowing 134 points in one game isn’t necessarily indicative of a bad defense, although that number can seem very obscene. But the Bucks didn’t put up much resistance against the Hornets on Friday, especially from the perimeter. Miles Bridges and Kon Knuepel lit them up with 32 points each, and if it hadn’t been for their explosion in overtime, Milwaukee would have lost NBA Cup a game they should have won.

At least the Bucks still got the job done. They are the reigning NBA Cup champions for a reason, and they will do their best to defend their crown.