For most, leaving a prestigious franchise like the Lakers, in Los Angeles, to live in Washington D.C. for the Wizards is nothing short of a downgrade.
With the Lakers, after all, Kuzma was competing for titles.
But, for the young forward, he has welcomed the change and sees a lot of the same mindset and attitude in D.C. as he did in L.A. Bradley Beal, his new franchise star, apparently reminds him of LeBron James himself.
“Obviously when you’ve got a guy that scores 30 points every night, from the outside looking in, you’re thinking he’s not really a willing passer,” Kuzma said. “He makes the right play and that’s really important for winning basketball. I see it all the time, especially playing with LeBron and AD, if they wanted to they could come down the court and score every single time if they wanted to. But understanding your teammates and whatever the right play is in front of you, that’s the most important thing. And he does that.”
Beal, a 9-year NBA veteran, has his breakout season back in 2017-18 when he averaged 22 points per game for the Wizards on 46% shooting.
He has grown a lot since then and continues to surprise people today with what he can do on the court.
“Every day I learn something new about him,” Kuzma said. “Obviously I watch a lot of basketball, I watch a lot of guys in this league, and I’ve watched him for multiple years and the way he plays. Every single day, you find out something more about him. Finding out he’s a pretty good passer, he’s looking that way.”
Last season, Beal was paired with Russell Westbrook in hopes that the franchise could return to the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
They did make it into the playoff bracket but eventually succumbed to the 76ers in 5 games.
We’ll see what they’re able to do this upcoming season.
