Prior to the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Kyle Kuzma suffered an ankle injury that unfortunately prevented him from making Team USA’s final 12-man roster in China.
After Kuzma returned home, Team USA finished in seventh place led by four members of the Boston Celtics: Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart.
Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo later shared Kuzma was going to be a ‘big help’ before the ankle injury.
As 2019 NBA training camp quickly approaches for the Los Angeles Lakers, Kuzma’s injury is progressing slower than hoped, according to Marc Stein of New York Times:
The more pressing concern for the Lakers, though, is Kuzma's recent foot injury that forced him to withdraw from @usabasketball duty at the @fibawc, with his recovery said to be progressing slower than hoped
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 24, 2019
There is fear Kuzma will not be ready for training camp:
The Lakers increasingly fear Kuzma will not be ready for the start of training camp as his left foot continues to heal, league sources say. LA"s first two practices are Saturday
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 24, 2019
Heading into the 2019-20 NBA season, the Lakers are viewed as championship contenders with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and a strong supporting cast. However, they need to be relatively healthy in hopes of winning it all.
Along with Kuzma’s injury, the Lakers are already without DeMarcus Cousins, who suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during a workout. After Dwight Howard was signed to replace Cousins, the Lakers were recently awarded with a $1.75 million disabled player exception from the league.
Considering Kuzma’s injury happened nearly a month ago, the hope is he will not miss too much time. With a new coaching staff and nine new players, the Lakers building chemistry as soon as possible will dictate their success.
After the Lakers missed 212 games due to injury during Year 1 with James, head athletic trainer Marco Nunez was fired. Since then, director of sports performance Judy Seto and head athletic trainer Nina Hsieh have taken over and already have work to do before the 2019-20 season starts.