Kyle Kuzma appreciates fresh start with Wizards, wanted ‘opportunity to not be in someone’s shadows’

This past offseason, Kyle Kuzma was traded to the Washington Wizards as part of the deal that brought superstar point guard Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kuzma and the Wizards have gotten off to a flying start this season, as they have registered a record of 10-3, which is good enough for first in the Eastern Conference.

It seems like the fresh start is the best thing that could have happened to Kuzma’s career, and he seems to agree.

In his last two seasons with the Lakers, Kuzma was not a main player on the roster. He had to take a step back because players like Anthony Davis and LeBron James were on the squad. In those two seasons, Kuzma averaged 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

In the 26-year-old’s first two seasons in the association, both with the Lakers, he averaged 17.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 33.5 percent from beyond the arc. At the time, it seemed as if he was going to become one of the league’s top young players.

So far this season, the former first-round pick has started in all 13 of the team’s games while averaging 14.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

He has been a key reason why the Wizards have started off so well this season. It will be interesting to see if Kuzma and the Wizards are able to continue their stellar play for the rest of the campaign.

Kuzma’s first career game against the Lakers will be in March of 2022. He certainly has that match up circled on his calendar.