Earlier in the offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers received positive news with the announcement of Kyle Kuzma being invited to the Team USA Training Camp.
The camp will take place Aug. 5-8 with Kuzma hoping to make the 12-man roster that will take part in the FIBA World Cup which takes place in China Aug. 31 – Sep. 15.
The selection serves as validation for the work Kuzma has put in throughout his young career to improve his game. As the No. 27 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, not much was expected of Kuzma when he was selected, but he turned heads immediately in the Las Vegas Summer League and hasn’t stopped doing so since.
USA Basketball Director Jerry Colangelo recently spoke about the decision to add Kuzma to the roster, saying the big reason was the improvement he’s shown since he’s entered the league, according to Kyle Goon of Orange County Register:
USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo, says the big reason Kyle Kuzma was asked to join national team camp this year was the marked improvement he's made since entering the NBA Draft.
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) June 10, 2019
This has been the story of Kuzma’s NBA career. There were questions about his ability to shoot the ball coming out of college, but he immediately quieted those concerns in his rookie season and became a reliable scorer. During his second season, he made a concerted effort to improve his defense and playmaking as he was being labeled as just a scorer.
Colangelo went further into detail about Kuzma’s training camp invitation, specifically highlighting his toughness as being necessary, via Goon:
Colangelo, describing Kuzma's best attributes that made him attractive to USA Basketball: "Size, shooting ability, range, versatility. And he’s a tough guy. You need toughness in this competition."
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) June 10, 2019
That toughness as Colangelo called it is something that has endeared him to Lakers fans and many others throughout the league. From Day 1, Kuzma has never backed down from anyone and that stands out.
Perhaps that is the reason why the Lakers reportedly insisted on not including Kuzma in the Anthony Davis trade with the New Orleans Pelicans. Whatever the case may be, Kuzma has an excellent opportunity to see where he stacks up with some of the best players in the league this summer.