Ramona Shelbourne explains Kyle Kuzma’s Bucks struggles with LeBron James vs Giannis Antetokounmpo comparison

The Milwaukee Bucks are in an awkward position heading into the 2025-26 NBA season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has still not committed his future to the franchise, and the team around him has several question marks.

The departure of Damian Lillard leaves them without a second star, even with the signing of Myles Turner, so every player will need to step up.

Kyle Kuzma struggled after joining the Bucks midway through last season, but he could be a difference-maker if he figures it out.

Ramona Shelbourne made a comparison between Antetokounmpo and LeBron James to suggest why he will be better.

Kuzma’s best stint in the NBA so far came with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning the championship in 2020.

He played well alongside James in the frontcourt and would have hoped to replicate that with Antetokounmpo last season.

However, Shelbourne thinks LeBron “is a different animal,” so it will take longer to figure things out with Giannis.

“I think guys like Kyle Kuzma are going to be better,” she said. “He needs to learn how to space and get open for Giannis.

“It’s hard to learn in the middle of the year how to play with Giannis. He had to do it with LeBron. LeBron is a different animal to play with than Giannis.”

If everyone on the Bucks’ roster plays at their average level, they will not make it past the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Even if Antetokounmpo continues to be in Most Valuable Player discussions, there would simply not be enough scoring around him.

However, the Bucks have several players who can perform better than they showed last season, including Kuzma, Gary Trent Jr, and Kevin Porter Jr.

The table above shows the difference between the Bucks players’ stats from last season compared to their career-highs.

If Doc Rivers can inspire all of his role players to rediscover their finest form, the Bucks can be outsiders to make the Finals in a weak Eastern Conference.