“ I think it's going in the right direction. » Kyle Kuzma seems very serious when he mentions, from The Athleticthe trajectory of the Wizards. A Washington team which has not made the playoffs since 2021 and has had a positive record since 2018.
And which has above all just signed the worst record in its history last season with 15 victories for 67 defeats. “ I'm optimistic because I know where we are as a group. Leaders said it best when calling it Year 0 of a rebuild », Contextualizes the strong winger.
No doubt motivated by the summer arrivals of Jonas Valanciunas, Saddiq Bey, Malcolm Brogdon or obviously Alexandre Sarr, the 29-year-old says he perceives a “ vision » of the possible future of the Wizards, « whatever the outcome » of the latter.
What if they started winning?
Is remaining patient in this context complicated? “ No, because I feel like I'm following my own line and not really listening to what others are saying “, he blurted out, adding: “ Some people will say: 'You should play on a winning team. You need to get out of there.' I don't believe it, because people don't know what I can do. What if we start winning here? That will be a whole different story. »
The best illustration of this philosophy dates back to the last “trade deadline”. While the Mavs were asking for him, Kyle Kuzma turned his back on them under the pretext of an impression that their “ agendas were not aligned “. Implying that the Texans did not have the means to get involved in the title race.
The months that followed would not prove him right. Dallas activated a plan B by recovering his teammate Daniel Gafford, then setting up another trade with the Hornets for PJ Washington. Luka Doncic and his gang arrived in the playoffs, then eliminated the Clippers, the Thunder and the Wolves to reach the final.
“ The addition of another pivot to play long minutes, Daniel Gafford, and another winger really helped them take a step forward. So it was interesting, because I don't think anyone thought they were a contender team in the middle of the season », Reframes the 2020 NBA champion with the Lakers.
A denser workforce
Certainly, but the ambitions of the Mavs were and are in any case higher than those of the Wizards. This year again, Dallas will aim for the top of the West, while Washington will try to escape the bottom of the East. Any regrets then?
“ Absolutely not. If the Mavericks became what they were, it was largely because they added an additional center and winger. If I had gone there, this would not have happened, the arrival of two impact players. And when we look at who won the title, it wasn't a team with (only) three or four players », notes Kyle Kuzma.
According to the latter, the Celtics were able to rely on a group of “ six or seven very good players – Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford – » to win.
Difficult to redo the story, but it will be interesting to see if his positioning evolves in the months to come, because it is not uncommon for his name to come up in the rumors. “ Everyone in the NBA can be traded except (Victor Wembanyama). And I'll still play basketball if I get traded, so why would I think about anything other than trying to put the ball in the basket? »
| Kyle Kuzma | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | LAL | 77 | 31 | 45.0 | 36.6 | 70.7 | 1.1 | 5.1 | 6.3 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 16.1 |
| 2018-19 | LAL | 70 | 33 | 45.6 | 30.3 | 75.2 | 0.9 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 18.7 |
| 2019-20 | LAL | 61 | 25 | 43.6 | 31.6 | 73.5 | 0.9 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 12.8 |
| 2020-21 | LAL | 68 | 29 | 44.3 | 36.1 | 69.1 | 1.6 | 4.5 | 6.1 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 12.9 |
| 2021-22 | W.A.S. | 66 | 33 | 45.2 | 34.1 | 71.2 | 1.1 | 7.4 | 8.5 | 3.5 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 17.1 |
| 2022-23 | W.A.S. | 64 | 35 | 44.8 | 33.3 | 73.0 | 0.9 | 6.4 | 7.2 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 21.2 |
| 2023-24 | W.A.S. | 70 | 33 | 46.3 | 33.6 | 77.5 | 0.9 | 5.7 | 6.6 | 4.2 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 22.2 |
| Total | 476 | 31 | 45.1 | 33.7 | 73.3 | 1.0 | 5.4 | 6.4 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 17.3 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
