When he first entered the league, Kyle Kuzma looked like the biggest steal in the NBA Draft. He could put the ball on the floor, shoot from all three levels, and showed promise as a defender. In fact, he was the only young player to survive the Los Angeles Lakers’ overhaul.
But that didn’t last forever. Kuzma was an important piece in the championship team in the bubble, but his development kind of stalled, and he was eventually dealt away in the Russell Westbrook trade.
Kuzma seemed kind of hurt at the time. But looking back, now the former Laker believes that joining the Washington Wizards was a blessing in disguise, as he can now finally be the player he always wanted to be.
NBA News: Kuzma Says He Can Flourish Without LeBron And A.D.
“Being in this situation helped out 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 told The Athletic. “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 just flow out there. It’s been a pretty good jell for the first 20 games. We’re all averaging 20 a game without having any friction out there.”
“(…)Being in Washington is really just helping me be myself,” Kuzma added.“I had to show a shell of myself in L.A., playing with greatness, and rightfully so. That’s what you should do playing on a team with those type of players at my position. Whereas being in D.C. has allowed me to be myself and expand my game, which a lot of people probably didn’t think I was.”
Kuzma is currently averaging nearly 21 points and 8 rebounds per game, posting career highs all over the board and playing like a borderline All-Star. So, he may not be playing for the Lakers anymore, but he’s finally proving what he’s capable of in this league.
