Kyle Kuzma: Wizards Have Offered Great Change Of Scenery

Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma clearly has enjoyed his brief time in DC, playing well and keeping his team in the play-in conversation despite the loss of star guard Bradley Beal.

After four years with the Lakers, Kuzma is having best season yet. He is averaging a 17.2 points, a career-high 8.7 rebounds and a career-high 3.4 assists, nearly double from last season.

“It’s been a great change of pace for me, a change of scenery,” Kuzma said, via Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “I did as much as I (could) to maximize (myself) when I was with my former team, with changing my role every single year for the betterment of the team and trying to fit in with great players. But here, it’s been a lot different, because I don’t necessarily have to do that.”

In LA, Kuzma had to adapt to playing next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He was a member of the championship team of 2020. Then he was part of the Russell Westbrook trade this summer.

While the Lakers have an old “title or bust” squad that has struggled, the Wizards seemingly have a brighter future thanks to the likes of Kuzma, Kristaps Porzingis and Beal when he’s finally healthy.

“My role has changed here. If you think about the first 25 games, I was in a different type of role than I am now — more scoring and just doing more things with the ball,” Kuzma said. “It’s just great to be in a situation where I can just be myself and do what I do, and not dummy myself down.”