Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma’s rise to a 20-ppg scorer has had many trials and tribulations. He was projected as a second-round pick or undrafted free agent prior to the 2017 NBA Draft. But after the Los Angeles Lakers selected him in the first round, 27th overall, Kuzma immediately blossomed, starting 37 games and averaging 16.1 points per game as a rookie. Ultimately, he served as a key rotation player on the 2020 championship team led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Kuzma was part of the Lakers’ young, local core that included Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Julius Randle and Josh Hart. Now in Washington, the 27-year-old has grown up co-starring opposite Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porziņģis. On draft day 2021, the Lakers traded Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and a first-round pick to the Wizards for Russell Westbrook and a second-round pick, a blockbuster deal that continues to have seismic impact. for both teams and throughout the league. From the moment he was notified of the trade, Kuzma’s mindset changed to become the star-level player he always envisioned.
“As soon as they traded me, I was ready to be more,” Kuzma told The Athletic.
Now, Beal (22.9), Porziņģis (21.8) and Kuzma (20.6) are averaging 20 points per game or more, making the Wizards one of only two teams in the league with three scoring players. 20 per night.
“Being in this situation helped a lot. Here, I’m not playing behind LeBron and AD. Those guys are my position, my type of player, who I am, my style,” Kuzma said. “So coming here, I don’t have that anymore. It’s been great because me, Brad and KP don’t get in each other’s way. We all flow out there. He’s been a pretty good jelly for the first 20 games. We’re all averaging 20 a game without having any friction.”
The Wizards are 11-13 and have had up-and-down streaks this season, winning six of seven games in November and then losing six of seven, including Sunday’s home game against the Lakers. Washington received Beal’s long-term commitment last offseason when he re-signed a five-year contract, but the Wizards have two key potential free agents this offseason in Porziņģis and Kuzma. Porziņģis has a player option next summer for $36 million, while Kuzma has a player option for $13 million. He makes Kuzma a fascinating talent for teams across the league to watch before the February 9 trade deadline.
Several teams, including the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns, have expressed business interest in Kuzma, according to league sources. Similarly, the Wizards have shown interest in Hawks forward John Collins, and the parties seriously discussed a potential deal last offseason, league sources added. Overall, this surely sets up a potential in-season decision for the Wizards to hold on to the potential free agent or explore what’s available.
However, the Wizards’ front office, led by general manager Tommy Sheppard, has made it clear that it sees Kuzma as a cornerstone going forward, as the franchise has seen him thrive since the mega-trade in the offseason. 2021. The Westbrook trade provided flexibility and future assets for the Wizards, who are known for being aggressive and proactive throughout the league.
“We have great respect for Kyle since he’s been in the league,” Sheppard told The Athletic. “He had a great rookie season, he was in the Rookie of the Year conversation, and then life changed when LeBron came along. So when the trade happened, he gave Kyle the opportunity to join our show, have a bigger role, start for us, and he’s been outstanding.
“Kyle has a great personality and demeanor, and he has a lot more room to grow going forward for us. We are very excited for the future growth of him here”.
For his part, Kuzma is expected to approach more than $20 million to $25 million per year in a new deal next summer, rival executives believe. Kuzma, who is averaging 7.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists along with 20.6 points, is in the second season of the three-year, $40 million contract he signed with the Lakers in 2020.
“The sky is the limit,” Kuzma said. “On my first deal, I definitely did the Lakers a little favor by having the local discount. I always thank Rob Pelinka (Lakers vice president of basketball operations) for treating me, because he gave me security and gave me a player option. I was one of the few players in NBA history not drawn in the lottery to have a player option on an extension. Everything has worked in my favor since I signed that contract until my progression as a player until this summer as well.
Kuzma recently went head-to-head with The Athletic regarding his breakout season, his departure from the Lakers, misconceptions, and much more.
What was your training regimen last offseason compared to previous summers?
This summer he focused a lot on strength. I really planned my summer a lot. I wanted to keep the main thing, the main thing, and just try to be as strong as possible, lift as much as I can, and get my reps up. The main thing was definitely my strength, being durable, attacking the basket, which I’ve done much better this year by gaining strength.
The last two summers, I’ve gotten very, very strong. Olympic style lifting: snatches and cleans and things of that nature, just changing it up. Typically, I’ve typically lifted like 95 percent of the lifters in the NBA, so I switched it up and I’ve seen results.
You guys had an up-and-down season in 2021-22 in Washington. How did the change from the Lakers to the Wizards and what you were used to on the court make you see the situation?
I think last year in Los Angeles we had a group that I think could have done a lot of things. If you look at our history before we got hurt, AD got hurt, then Bron got hurt, we were crushing people. We had a lot of momentum going into that Phoenix series, going up 2-1 and then injuring AD. It was a difficult situation. I get the boot.
Being in Washington is really helping me to be myself. I had to show a shell of myself in Los Angeles, playing it big, and rightly so. That’s what you have to do playing on a team with those types of players in my position. Whereas being at DC has allowed me to be myself and expand my game, which a lot of people probably didn’t think I was.
Kyle Kuzma and Bradley Beal (Photo: Brad Mills/USA Today)
I was with the championship team on the Orlando campus, it was a tight-knit group, so when you came to the Wizards, what was the chemistry like?
That championship year taught me a lot about the game of basketball; just doing all the little things, how much chemistry and camaraderie it means. If you look at our team last year, we had a lot of ups and downs because we didn’t like each other. It was a shit show. This year, yes, we are still working on some things, but we have a genuine group, an authentic group. We actually like each other. There is a lot of parity in the NBA right now. When you look at the schedule, there are a lot of teams that are two games over .500 or .500, especially in the East.
So we have to stay the course.
Even when you have been doubted at some points in your basketball career, how come you always had the confidence within yourself?
I have always had faith since the jump. I think throughout my years, I’ve had different roles, I’ve had different perceptions of myself. Do you like basketball? Do you care about basketball? He likes fashion? But for me, I just have this incredible self-confidence. I think no matter who I’m on the court with, I’m the better player. And that has brought me to this level. That has gotten me to where I am. That’s why I’m having the season that I’m having, which is why my irrational confidence has always been key for me.
How do you handle those external perceptions?
I’ve grown over the years to not really care what people think. Everyone always has something to say about me. I have realized that this is who I am. People will always say what they want to say. It is a reference point. At the end of the day, if you’re in an organization that I play for, everyone knows how much of a competitor I am and how much I’m willing to sacrifice to win and how much I want to win.
Speaking of your gaming outfits, how long does it take you to get the right fit?
The night before a trip, it takes me an hour to pack. It takes me an hour to choose my game settings because I’m trying three or four different things. I’m like… ahhh, I don’t know about this. I take it seriously. Although that’s who I am. Even if it’s not a game, if I go to dinner, I could try on three outfits.
This week in fashion with Kyle Kuzma 👀
🎥 @NBA pic.twitter.com/HdlnzXbQIl
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) November 13, 2022
On the court, how do you, Brad and KP work on the chemistry component?
We approach her every day. For us, we have to keep pushing it, and we have to wear each other down. We have to make everyone else better. That is our next step. When we can improve other guys on our team, our job will be a lot easier. We all want to win and we want to improve those around us.
I’m a champion. I have been at the highest level and I have played in some of the most important matches of the championship. I learned the game of basketball from probably the greatest player of all time, so I have a lot of knowledge about the way I play, the way I view the game. It’s all because of my past.
GO DEEPER
‘We’re not going to let the season go by’: Wizards face make-or-break stretch
(Kyle Kuzma top photo: Sam Navarro / USA Today)
Source: news.google.com