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Kyle Kuzma · For a player six years removed from hoisting the NBA championship, and five years removed from his last postseason appearance, Kyle Kuzma was certainly justified in labeling himself as “itching” to return to a contending situation. Fittingly for him, scratching the surface of that potential in the Milwaukee Bucks’ threads only required the nailing of a few silky-smooth triples against the Atlanta Hawks on February 7, 2025. Collecting what became one of his night’s more memorable plays, Kuzma matches his teammates’ pick-and-roll by subtly “lifting” up the 3-point arc, making himself available enough to receive a hot potato-like pass with under five seconds on the play clock. No stranger to off-balanced buckets, Kuzma buries one from the 3-point slot, contributing a play that ultimately helped turn Milwaukee’s 10-point opening-quarter deficit into a 18-point advantage by intermission. Milwaukee didn’t survive the rollercoaster-type game on this night, but Kuzma’s energy — accompanied by a 12-point, seven-rebound, three-triple contribution — afforded him positive momentum, with better days arriving in the very near future. · State of Mint