Kyle Kuzma
Washington Wizards

Player Facts

Height: 6'9"
Weight: 221lbs.

Wingspan: 7'0.25"

Date of Birth: Junly 24, 1995
College Experience: Utah (3 years)

Selections

All Star: 0
All-NBA: 0
All-Defensive: 0

Player Grades

Speed/Explosiveness: 7
Physical Strength: 6
Positional Size: 9
Positional Wingspan: 8
Paint Scoring: 8
Midrange Scoring: 5
Three-Point Scoring: 6
Dribbling: 7
Passing: 5
Perimeter Defense: 5
Interior Defense: 5
Rebounding: 8

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JUMP TO SECTION

> Intro

> Interior Scoring

> Offensive Malleability

> Iso's + Pump-and-Go

> Matured Game

> Rebounding Growth

> Tri-Position Defense

> Backline Resistance

> Efficiency Troubles + Turnovers

> Defensive Doubts

> Beacon Bacon

>Link to Player Contract & Salary Info

*All short clips courtesy of ZH Highlights (YouTube),

*All statistical data courtesy of NBA Advanced Stats

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STRENGTHS

Intro

Kyle Kuzma began his career as a natural shot-maker in Los Angeles. Since then, he has rounded out his game some to fit better alongside other players. The Michigan native has made some notable strides on the defensive end while maintaining the ability to still pop off for big scoring nights.

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Interior Scoring

The 6'9", 221-pound Kuzma has the size and skill versatility to play multiple positions. On offense, he leverages this size to score down on the block against smalls. Kyle finished up in the 59th percentile for post-up scoring in 2023-2024 on volume.

He also uses that plus-size to be a very strong finisher right at the iron. Kuz will pump out a good amount of dunks, layups, and finger rolls, filling up his shot chart with these ultra-efficient shots for him.

Offensive Malleability

There is a wide breadth of avenues through which the 6'9" wing can arrive at the cup. He can roll, initiate the ball screen, isolate, cut, pump-and-go, and use DHO's all reasonably well to attack a seam. All in all, in 2021-2022 the versatile player averaged a similar amount of drives/contest to Khris Middleton, Norman Powell, and Andrew Wiggins.

With the help of a big man, Kyle can get downhill to make a play. He averaged 4 P&R initiator possessions and 1.3 DHO receivals per game in 2023-2024. He finishes from in-between range in uniquely creative ways.

He can be utilized as the roll man from time to time too with the ability to pop out to three. Though his short roll playmaking vision is mediocre, he can weaponize his momentum and fill the space in front of him. His touch on floaters and push shots isn't bad either.

Iso's + Pump-and-Go

Kuz can be sent the ball with a dwindling shot clock and you can feel confident he can get a decent shot off. His iso package is solid, combining a nice handle with long strides when attacking the basket.

He is opportunistic with his isolations. When he sees a defender shift his weight or angle him a certain way, he will look to exploit. As mentioned before, he will take a size mismatch down low into the post.

Kyle has a convincing pump fake that he uses to set up a dribble drive, but he will also run through the ball well if he has decided he'll attack right off the catch. He is open to making the correct pass to a teammate in these spots too. He'll also pump into a one-dribble sidestep three as the defender flies by.

Matured Game

Kyle Kuzma was thrust into a complementary role after the Lakers loaded up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the top of their roster. After an adjustment period, he found his way in time for their championship run. Improved off-ball movement, standstill shooting, and better defense were all central pieces that have since stuck around as parts of his game.

Kuzma is more than a simple standstill shooter. He can make tough threes with close contests while leaning or twisting in-air.

His shot prep is sound and his footwork especially is consistently optimal as a shooter. Playing beside his Laker star teammates then Bradley Beal in Washington allowed for ample open three chances created from these talented scorers.

The former Ute drained 37.5% of his off-the-catch treys in 2020-2021. His volume was also top-tier that year. Kyle amassed 375 catch-and-shoot points – more than Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, and Patty Mills.

Kuzma's cutting also grew especially in Washington on both a frequency and selectiveness standpoint. He is good at that 45 cut, moving from waiting for the wing three to darting toward the cup as a teammate collapses the defense. He'll also weaponize his motion and curl toward the basket for some easy scores

He was also a nice outlet target for LeBron and others like Dennis Schröder back in LA. Both he and speedster Dejounte Murray averaged 3.1 fast break points per game in 2020-2021. Kuzma remains a strong pitch-ahead target for his Wizard guards.

Rebounding Growth

Kuzma took a leap in the rebounding to depart as he swapped his Laker jersey for a Wizards one. He tracked down boards well on both ends of the court. Kyle used his size and length with this value-add from the forward spot.

Tri-Position Defense

Kyle has turned himself into a solid multi-position defender after being considered a liability on that end. While the advanced stats do not love his production on this end recently, the film still portrays his value on a struggling Washington team.

His versatility is valuable as his coach can pencil him into several different lineup configurations. The Flint native spends sizeable chunks of his time defending two-guards, small forwards, and power forwards respectively.

He'll use that length and move his feet to stick with perimeter threats. Poking the ball away for steals is something he can do but playing his man square and sound is of top priority. His post defense isn't bad either - 55th percentile in 2020-2021.

Backline Resistance

The tall Kuzma provides solid backline resistance with that size and an arm-span north of seven feet. His off-ball rotations and reaction time have steadily improved as his NBA career has gone on. 2022-2023 in Washington saw him hold opponents to 6.3% below their normal average inside of six feet.

Kuzma is sneakily a good defender in the open court as well. He has a penchant for the odd chase-down block here in transition. A hustling, engaged Kyle can become a defensive difference-maker.

WEAKNESSES

Efficiency Troubles + Turnovers

Kyle has a mix of both processing and skill-based concerns that persist. To start, he makes some ill-advised decisions at times, particularly in some end-of-game scenarios. Kuzma also has a habit of taking some inefficient shots when he should be passing to make a play or to simply get off of the ball to get it back.

Kyle takes more than the odd midranger despite consistently being below the NBA average in efficiency for this zone. From 2019-2020 to 2021-2022, he was around the low-to-mid-30%'s on two-point jumpers. With great size on the wing, he should look to supplant these subpar shots for full takes to the rack.

Kuz has yet to nail down his pull-up three-ball. He is solid as a standstill shooter or off movement, but the dribble-up three is not a huge part of his repertoire. From 2018-2019 to 2023-2024, he converted under 31% of his off-the-bounce triple tries.

He makes the right pass pretty often but mixes in some overly ambitious ones. This fuels a pretty bad turnover rate and has prevented him from posting anything more than a slightly positive AST/TO ratio.

Defensive Doubts

Defensively, he doesn't get the counting stats some coaches like to see. Without being a turnover-forcer, he seldom turns defense into easy offense for his squad. In all 7 of his first seasons, he never reached one steal or one block per-36.

Another qualm is his light frame which can be powered through by similar-height players. He's light for a 6-9 player and this stops him from being a good option to toss onto centers. He was in just the 43rd percentile checking screen-and-dive men in his final Lakers season.

Now in Washington, it can be hard to judge Kuzma individually within the context of a rough defensive squad. Attempting to extricate Kuzma's value from within this situation can be tough, and looking at most advanced defensive statistics for him have still been poor. These, plus the game tape, are the best ways of attempting to gauge his value here.

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Beacon Bacon

Kuzma was a 2020 NBA Champion with the Los Angeles Lakers as they famously took home the trophy in "The Bubble"