Over the past few months, Kuzma has described his mixed emotions when he was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Wizards over the summer. At first, he thought he was going to the Kings, then he was traded to the Wizards, and as the trade happened, he left the NBA team he had played for for four years of his career.
Kuzma won the championship with the Lakers and made Los Angeles his home. But he saw some positives in moving to the Wizards as he felt a chance to start over and play a bigger role on the court.
Nearly half a season after he joined the Wizards, Kuzma has become an integral part of the team. In recent matches, many of his teammates have been suspended for triggering health and safety protocols, and Kuzma's level of play has been forced to rise to a higher level.
In Monday's win over the Hornets, Kuzma had 36 points, 14 rebounds and six assists while shooting 6-of-11 from three-point range. Before him, Westbrook was the only Wizards to score so many points and rebounds in a single game. It was Kuzma's fourth consecutive game to score more than 20 points. In the last four games, he has scored 22, 25, 29 and 36 points respectively, totaling 112 points, averaging 28 points per game!
"I'm in good shape with the Wizards. The coaching staff believed in me and the players believed in me, I just had fun, honestly. I had a great time," Kuzma said.
In Washington, Kuzma can look for his own shooting opportunities with more confidence. Kuzma has the second-highest number of shots per game with the Wizards this season (12.5 per game), but in the last four games, he has averaged 20.0 shots per game.
In addition to the number of shots, Kuzma is understandably playing less stressfully for the Wizards than when he played for the Lakers. The Lakers are a popular team with extremely high expectations and a lot of media attention. Kuzma believes there are pros and cons to playing in the big market, but he is now in a comfortable position, thanks to his teammates and coaches for their trust in him.
Wizards Boss Bill also talked about this. "Kuzma now has a place to flap his wings," he said. He can breathe, relax and play. He didn't have to worry about all the outside stuff. He could easily go and play basketball. ”
Kuzma has shot a number of key shots for the Wizards this season. That happened again Monday as he hit three three-pointers in the final three minutes to lead the Wizards to victory over the Hornets. The Wizards' way of relying on Kuzma in key moments shows that he has taken on additional responsibilities for the new team.
He felt ready for the challenge and was happy that he had the opportunity to take on the challenge.
"In this league, fit and opportunity are everything... It's a sport with extreme highs and extreme lows. But if you're in a position like I'm lucky [to get in] and have people who believe in me, you can see what I can do," Kuzma said.