The new-look Milwaukee Bucks roster has provided head coach Taylor Jenkins with a plethora of shooters. To maximize this skill set, the starting lineup will have to be without either Kyle Kuzma or Jaime Jaquez Jr., since both players are better suited to play with four shooters. One of them must sacrifice a starting role.

Bucks can maximize the two’s impact with their center options

Having Myles Turner and Kel’el Ware as center options does allow the Bucks to play a fun style should Jenkins go for it. Having Kuzma or Jaquez at the power forward spot, surrounded by four shooters, including the centers stretching the floor, can open the game up for everyone. The wings can drive and look to get their shots off in the paint; when the defense collapses, you have four capable guys on the perimeter to take advantage of the open looks.

Jenkins may see things differently and try to use the two of them together with three shooters. There is still so much unknown about how the Bucks may line up come the first game of the season. The backcourt is overflowing with talent; several young guys have shown promise and could get a shot, while the veterans will stake their claim to be heavily featured in the rotation.

It may not be Kuzma or Jaquez’s preference to come off the bench in contract years, but for the betterment of the team, it may suit them to start on the bench, and they can still have a big impact on the success of the Bucks this season.

Kuzma or Jaquez must be sixth man

Both players have a unique skill set in that they are better suited to an inverted wing-type role. Their strengths are their physicality and ability to get to the basket rather than their shot creation from the perimeter. Playing the two together could come with some drawbacks for the team as a whole, most notably with the lack of spacing this would create.

Jaquez finished runner-up in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season, putting up an impressive 15.4 points, five rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Kuzma started 43 of 69 games with the Bucks last season as the team struggled to find a winning formula. He averaged 13 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists as he shot a solid 34.7 percent from deep, one of the more efficient seasons of his nine-year NBA career.

Both players are entering the final year of their contracts and may be trade candidates. Starting and being able to maximize their next contract is going to be at the forefront of their attention and possibly the team’s attention to maximize a return.

However, coming off the bench can still benefit them. A tough sophomore season for Jaquez saw many people drop stock in him, but his 2025-26 season has him poised for a nice extension, whether that’s in Milwaukee or elsewhere, if he can follow it up well.

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