Kyle Kuzma began his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2017. The forward immediately became a fan favorite because of his impressive scoring ability and looked to be one of the rising young stars in the NBA.
Once LeBron James and Anthony Davis joined the franchise, Kuzma’s role changed and he embraced it, improving his rebounding and defense and playing a big role in the Lakers’ run to the 2020 NBA Championship.
Kuzma has spent the last three seasons with the Washington Wizards, a franchise with less history and a completely different level of standards from the Lakers. But the forward still appreciates the Lakers fanbase and knows there is nothing else like it.
“It’s a lot different,” Kuzma said when asked about playing for a team other than the Lakers. “Especially when I came in, I was leading the team in scoring my rookie year. So it was a whirlwind, especially coming from Flint and coming from Utah.
“But this is the best fanbase in the world. They love their team, from one to 17. You feel it, you hear it, you see it online. It’s a tight-knit community here and if they love you, you’ll be global. And if they hate you, they’re gonna hate you too. You take it with it.”
The expectations that come with playing for the Lakers is unlike any other in the NBA and Kuzma knows that firsthand. While he was beloved early on, he also came under a lot of criticism in his latter years with the team for not always playing to his potential.
And at that time, those things bothered Kuzma, but now at 28 years old, he has grown up.
“I’ve matured a lot,” Kuzma added. “I think I don’t really stress on things so much, I kind of let things evaporate as time goes. I think early in my career, I used to hold onto things, especially throughout games and it would drag me down. But at 28 now, a lot of growth has happened.”
With the Wizards, Kuzma has been afforded the opportunity to just be able to play without all of the pressures that come with being on the Lakers and playing next to LeBron. But make no mistake, his time with the Lakers has helped Kuzma be the player and man he is today and he surely appreciates his time in L.A.
Lakers’ Cam Reddish only played four minutes vs. Wizards due to ankle soreness
Kuzma was solid in his return to L.A., finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds, but the Lakers were able to come away with an overtime win on the second night of a back-to-back. But after a long, emotional contest the night before, Lakers wing Cam Reddish played just four minutes and head coach Darvin Ham explained why.
“He was just experiencing a little bit of soreness and having not played in almost three or four weeks,” Ham said. “Whatever it was, playing last night, gave us some huge minutes last night, so on a back-to-back we just decided to put him on ice early and make sure he starts the process of being ready for Saturday. We have Max, who is more than capable of filling that void. So we were able to get through it.”
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