Kyle Kuzma briefly confused, reflects on Washington tenure

New Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma had a brief moment of instinctive confusion during his return to Washington on Friday, as noted by Noah Trister of The Associated Press.

Having spent three and a half seasons with the Wizards before being traded, Kuzma accidentally congratulated a former teammate after a defensive play.

“One time in the first quarter, it might have been Alex (Sarr), he might have blocked a shot. Bilal (Coulibaly) came over to dap him up,” Kuzma said. “Then I dapped up Bilal, just by instinct. It was weird.”

Despite the mix-up, Kuzma quickly refocused, finishing with 19 points in Milwaukee’s 104-101 win.

His presence is increasingly vital for the Bucks as Giannis Antetokounmpo remains on limited minutes due to a calf strain, and Bobby Portis serves a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s drug policy.

Reflecting on his time in Washington, the forward described it as “a time of growth” but wasn’t surprised by the trade.

“I think the writing was on the wall in a sense here. Not saying that was a good or a bad thing. I think everything in life really has an expiration date,” Kuzma said. “It was my time to go, beneficial to all parties involved.”