Out of the big three last season, the Washington Wizards decided to re-sign Kyle Kuzma. Kuz and the Wizards agreed on a new deal that would pay him $102M over four years. But why? He’s not an All-star, he’s never made All-NBA. The reason may be more simple than you think. He’s a champion. He’s achieved the ultimate goal. That’s what matters.
Kuzma was the third leading scorer on the Los Angeles Lakers who won the NBA Championship in the Bubble. He understands what it takes to win at the highest level and the sacrifices needed to achieve that. His points per game dropped from 18.7 in his second year to 12.8 on the championship team as he was asked to come off the bench.
That type of leadership is needed in a young locker room like the Wizards currently have. With the addition of Jordan Poole as well, the Wizards have two players who will be looked at as leaders, both having championships on their resumes. We know the Wizards are going through a rebuild but with Kuz and Poole as their leaders and since they haven’t reached their primes, the future is looking bright.
Even though it may initially seem surprising that Kuz decided to be on board with a rebuild and re-sign with the team, his decision makes sense.
The Wizards allowed Kuzma to grow as a scorer and a playmaker. He was one of the primary ball handlers for the team for the season, posting a career-high 3.7 assists per game.
When Kuzma was on the Lakers, it seemed like every time he made a mistake, he would get pulled. He talked about this on the Ball Don’t Stop Podcast. A player being able to freely play his game and not having to worry about being pulled from the game does wonders for his game.
Kyle Kuzma still has room to grow as a leader and despite only being 27, he will probably be one of the older players in the Wizards’ locker room. He also posted career highs in his scoring but he can still get better as a shooter.
Another reason why Kuzma decided to stay in DC may be his mother who expressed how much she enjoys the District during her interview with Scoop B. Momma always knows best!
These same traits can be said about Jordan Poole. He’s a champion and understood what it took to win. Not only that, but he got to learn from being around a dynasty led by all-time greats in Steph Curry, Steve Kerr, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala. He learned what his role was and how to maximize it to win a championship, similar to what Kuzma did in LA.
Being the explosive scorer off the bench while being a secondary point guard for the team helped Poole grow as a player. Now looking to being the face of the franchise, he can put all that he’s learned to test.
The championship pedigree that Kuz and Poole hold can possibly buy them some leverage in helping the team decide who to go after in the future either through the draft or free agency.
The moves the club has made to start this rebuild have been impressive and they seem to be going in the right direction. By the time this team hits its prime, it will be scary for the rest of the league.