Getty Kyle Kuzma checks Giannis Antetokounmpo during a bout between the Washington Wizards and the Milwaukee Bucks.
With the advent of the Golden State Warriors‘ death lineup, not to mention the number of key injuries around the league, oddsmakers are giving Steph Curry and Co. a great shot at taking the title as the playoffs heat up. Per Sports Illustrated, the Dubs are slight favorites over the Celtics and Suns to go all the way.
Not everyone is in agreement about the Warriors’ prospects, though. There are even simulations out there picking multiple other teams over the Dubs to win the championship. Like ESPN‘s BPI projections, which, as of April 30, are giving the team the worst odds in the West — and second-worst overall — to win at just 4.5%.
In the end, NBA players may just be the ones with the best handle on who realistically has a shot to climb to the mountaintop.
Along this vein, Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma just served up a ringing endorsement of the Warriors.
Kuzma Praises the Dubs as Title-Worthy
In response to a tweet about Andrew Wiggins’ willingness to accept a different role for the good of the team, Kuzma was compelled to shout out the former No. 1 overall pick and his team.
“Best part of golden state and why they can win a chip this season,” Kuzma tweeted on April 27. “Everyone is a leader in their own way.”
Despite being a first-time All-Star this season, not to mention the fact that he’s currently ripping the nets at 52.9% overall and 53.8% from deep as the death lineup’s safety valve, Wiggins said on Wednesday that he would move to the bench if it would help the Warriors win.
“Whatever the coaches want to do,” Wiggins said. “Whatever they think is best to win the game. Steph came off the bench for a couple of games… We’ve got to do whatever we need to do to win.”
He added, “Right now, it’s playoffs, so you gotta throw your ego out the window and do whatever you gotta do to win.”
Earlier this postseason, Curry made a similar sacrifice, pushing to come off the bench as he recovered from his foot injury.
The latest Golden State Warriors news straight to your inbox! Heavy on Warriors newsletter here!
Kuzma Has Seen the Warriors at Their Best, Too
Kuzma may be impressed with the leadership qualities and selflessness that are commonplace on the Dubs’ roster, but he also understands the team’s incredible firepower as well as anyone.
Back on March 14, he was on the wrong end of Steph’s jaw-dropping birthday performance. Curry dropped a whopping 47 points in the game on 16-of-25 shooting, hitting seven threes and adding six boards, six assists and a steal for good measure. Meanwhile, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole chipped in with 20 points apiece.
Golden State led for all but 49 seconds of the contest and went on to capture a 126-112 win (that wasn’t really even that close). For his part, Kuzma was held to 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting in the contest.
READ NEXT: