Speaking of the 2025 NBA Playoffs<\/a>, the Bucks suffered an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Indiana Pacers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Considering the Bucks had the dynamic duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> and Damian Lillard<\/a> on the roster, the early exit certainly came as a shock to most.<\/p>\n The Pacers\u2019 2025 playoff run won\u2019t be forgotten by fans in a hurry. After all, the Tyrese Haliburton<\/a>-led team was never expected to have a deep postseason run, let alone reach the 2025 NBA Finals<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite losing to the Pacers, Kyle Kuzma<\/a> of the Bucks recently went out of his way to praise their conference rivals.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was definitely a little tough for us. Indiana was nasty. They are so good this year, they are insane. They went under the radar with a lot of people.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think a lot of people thought they were going to be what they were, but they were,\u201d Kuzma said on The Dawg Talk podcast.<\/p>\n Kuzma then pointed out that the Rick Carlisle-coached team<\/a> had insane depth, which aided the Pacers\u2019 unforgettable playoff run.<\/p>\n \u201cSerious, telling you. What a run. They really showed you what the league is now. The Finals you got to have eight people, eight real killers.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Hali has a bad game, I don\u2019t know what a bad game for him because of how he plays, but if he shoots it bad it doesn\u2019t matter, Nembhard\u2019s gonna have 19, Nesmith\u2019s gonna have 22,\u201d Kuzma stated.<\/p>\n Kyle Kuzma speaks on Myles Turner and Damian Lillard<\/p>\n This offseason, the Bucks finally pulled the plug on their Antetokounmpo-Lillard experiment as Dame was waived. The Bucks made the call to sign former Pacer Myles Turner<\/a> to a four-year, $109m contract.<\/p>\n Kuzma spoke about his new teammate, stating: \u201cIt\u2019s dope. Myles is a great player, he knows how to play ball for sure. He just knows himself.\u201d<\/p>\n Lastly, the Bucks forward also reflected on Lillard\u2019s short stint with the Bucks. Ultimately, praising him for battling through a blood clot to make himself available for the postseason.<\/p>\n \u201cThat ___ed us. Dame went down. He had a blood clot, I\u2019ve never heard anybody come back from a blood clot like that, and I just felt like he didn\u2019t really have enough time to get himself back. <\/p>\n \u201cHe had high hopes, we wanted to win this year, and having him come back was really good for us,\u201d Kuzma concluded.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, Lillard\u2019s stint ended in a painful manner as the Bucks star suffered a torn Achilles tendon<\/a> in the playoffs.<\/p>\n![\"Kyle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2209991087-1-941x627.jpg\")
Photo by Mike Mulholland\/Getty ImagesKyle Kuzma praises Indiana Pacers, admits \u2018tough\u2019 matchup<\/p>\n