LeBron James and the LA Lakers made significant changes to their roster in the offseason to compete for the championship following their disappointing first-round exit in the 2021 NBA playoffs. But even as things are not going as smoothly as the purple and gold anticipated, their team captain has taken the time to express his joy on Kyle Kuzma’s improved form with the Washington Wizards.
The Lakers shipped out Kuz, along with Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope via a blockbuster five-team trade to land Russell Westbrook. Although their gamble to get one superstar that can play alongside LBJ and Anthony Davis is not producing the desired result, the Lakers alums are thriving in their new teams.
James’ former teammate met with his former club, and Kuz got the better of the fixture. The Cleveland Cavaliers came close to winning the game, but an inspired performance by Kuzma swung things in favor of the Wizards.
LeBron could not contain his excitement as he took to Twitter to express his satisfaction with Kuzma flexing his clutch gene. The former Laker went 4-of-4 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter, two of which were clutch that guaranteed the win. Kuzma registered 22 points and five rebounds in 35 minutes.
https://twitter.com/RealQuintonMayo/status/1458640378203156493
The game ended 97-94 in favor of the Wizards in what was a low-scoring contest by league standards. Bradley Beal and Spencer Dinwiddie struggled throughout the game, both combining for 24 points. Big-game plays like this were missing for Kuz during the stint with the Lakers last season, but the forward has drastically turned things around.
Montrezl Harrell, who has taken every opportunity to stick it to the Lakers for how poorly he was treated during his time there also put up a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds in that fixture. The Lakers will not square off against the Wizards anytime soon, as their first meeting is scheduled for sometime in March. However, it is a must-watch game as Harrell will revel in the opportunity to show the purple and gold what they passed up on first-hand.
LeBron is currently out with an abdominal injury, with the timeline of his return unknown. The four-time NBA champ will have more time to watch his former teammates play and will undoubtedly continue showing his support at every opportunity he gets.
