Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma Tweets on USA Basketball, Injury & Upcoming Season

Kyle Kuzma USA Basketball

Getty Kyle Kuzma of the USA shoots during a Team USA practice.

Relatively quiet since the unexpected announcement that he had suffered a minor ankle injury and was being sent home from USA Basketball, Kyle Kuzma finally shed a bit of light into where his head is at following the news. Looking to emerge as a reliable three-point shooter with much-improved defense, Kuzma was looking to be in line to get some decent minutes in China before going down with his injury.

With Kuzma now gone, USA Basketball’s roster sits at the final list of 12 players who will be going to China, though likely it seems that Popovich might have planned to look elsewhere to trim down the roster had Kuzma not suffered his injury.

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Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma Tweets on USA Basketball, Injury & Upcoming Season

While Kuzma seems sad he won’t be able to take part in the FIBA World Cup, he has more than enough reason to be excited for the upcoming season with the Lakers. Despite looking to find himself coming off the bench in a sixth-man role, Kuzma figures to be an incredibly important part of the Lakers’ gameplan. Loaded with new talent like Anthony Davis, Avery Bradley, and Danny Green, the Lakers have an entirely different look and will likely (if all goes according to plan) find themselves giving Kuzma his first taste of the playoffs.

Even though Kuzma won’t be with the team any longer, he seems to have learned quite a bit in a short time under Gregg Popovich. Especially on the defensive end, Kuzma looks to be a much-improved player. Specifically, Kuzma is making much smarter reads to help shut down pick and roll attempts while also seeming much more comfortable defending bigger opponents down low.


Kyle Kuzma’s Expectations Sky High Heading Into 2019-2020

After his latest strong showing for USA Basketball, assuming his ankle is fine, Kyle Kuzma seems poised to take a big step forward in his third season. While already racking up nearly 20 points per game in each of his first two years, Kuzma seems to have added a much more effective three-point shot – which could make him an even more frequent target of LeBron James passes given their already strong on-court rapport.

As mentioned above, Kuzma has turned himself into what looks to be at least a passable NBA-caliber defender. Arguably the biggest knock on his game his first two years in the league – Kuzma seems poised to shed that label and prove he can at least hold his own. With Dwight Howard now on board, the Lakers should once again have a rim protector on the court at all times and with improved perimeter defenders like Danny Green and Avery Bradley added into the rotation, it seems Kuzma should have considerably more help defensively than he’s ever had before in his career.