Kyle Kuzma, All-Star? It's Possible The Former Los Angeles Lakers Star Becomes One After Five-Team Trade Also Including Nets, Pacers And Spurs Sent Him To The The Wizards
There were times Kyle Kuzma was seen as a really good player and other times where he was not seen as a very good player.
Many fans have mixed opinions about how good the former Los Angeles Lakers star is.
After a five-team including the Lakers, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs and Brooklyn Nets sent him to Washington, he now has a new home.
The full details of the trade can be seen in a Tweet below from Fred Katz of the Athletic.
Could the 26 year old become an All-Star in the Eastern Conference?
A lot of times, it's harder to make the All-Star Game and the NBA Playoffs in the Western Conference, so that is one thing that is going in favor of Kuzma potentially becoming an All-Star.
Another thing that is highly in his favor is his ability to score, and playing on a team that is not led by arguably the greatest player ever in LeBron James.
Playing next to James, Anthony Davis and other veterans did not give Kuzma the same amount of opportunities he had when he averaged 16.1 points per game in his rookie season and 18.7 points per game in his second season.
In his second season, the Lakers did have James, but there was no Davis, and James missed extended time with an injury.
Given the right amount of touches and opportunities, Kuzma has shown that he could be a guy who averages 20-25 points per game in a season.
Can he do it on a winning team and be efficient?
That's a much larger discussion.
Bradley Beal was second in the entire NBA in points per game last season, averaging 31.3 points per game.
The Wizards were also fifth in the entire NBA in total points per game at 116.3 PPG (the entire list can be read here at TeamRankings).
The Lakers came in at 24th averaging 108.5 points per game.
Therefore, Kuzma is not only going to a team where he can have the ball in his hands more because there is less star power but a team that plays at a lot higher tempo when it pertains to scoring.
Now, the Wizards do have a new head coach in Wes Unseld Jr., so is it possible they play a lot different?
Certainly.
Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers) and Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic/Chicago Bulls) were two players that probably wouldn't have made the All-Star game in the Western Conference, but made it in the Eastern Conference last season.
The last two seasons, Kuzma turned into more of a role player and averaged less than 13 points per game, but if he can be used more in the Wizards offense and in a Conference with weaker players, he could easily put up the numbers to make an All-Star team in the next two seasons.
Kuzma's career averages: 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 44.8% FG and 33.8% 3P.
