Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma had the rare opportunity to be teammates with LeBron James and Anthony Davis during their 2020 championship run. According to the 29-year-old, it was one of the most important times of his life because of how much he learned from James and Davis, as well as just being around other veterans on that title team.
“ Everything. How to be a pro, how to motivate people, how to work, how to be a businessman, so many things. I think that was one of the most important times of my life. Taking a back seat and really like watching and learning. I think everything I’ve done then, I’m doing now, and I’m trying to pay it forward and give it to people,” Kuzma said in a press conference held in Manila, Philippines, where he’s currently as part of his Asian tour this summer.
From taking the back seat to being the driver
The thing with Kuzma 's career trajectory is that he went from being a serviceable young player on a championship contender to spending his prime years on a rebuilding team. One can argue that the forward is wasting his talent, but Kyle believes that he’s had two of the best years of his career in D.C. — which arguably wouldn’t be possible if he was stuck to a specific role on a contending team.
That’s why this coming season, Kuzma plans to continue helping build a winning culture for the Wizards. He vows to do that by not only applying the lessons he learned from his time with James and Davis but also channeling the Mamba Mentality — a mental skill he learned from the late great Kobe Bryant .
“ You just have to live it every day. I think I do that because at the end of the day I've been in the league for eight years, and I love it just as if I was a kid still. You know, as you get older, you take a little bit more breaks in the offseason, but you know, when I have a basketball in my hands when I'm training, I feel like a kid again, and I think that's what always keeps me going and pushes me to kind of strive for that mentality ,” Kuzma added.
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Year Four in D.C.
Kuzma, who has averaged 20.2 points and 7.4 assists in the last three years with the Wizards, will be entering his fourth season with the team since getting traded by the Lakers for Russell Westbrook . The biggest question for the versatile forward entering this season is whether or not he’s reached his full potential. Can the one-time champion show that he has what it takes to perhaps be considered an All-Star? Or better yet, will Kuzma be that role player that contending teams go after to improve their team?
Only time will tell how the rest of Kyle’s prime years play out, but for now, the forward is more than happy to be part of the Wizards’ rebuilding process, where he plans to play a huge role in turning the organization’s fate around.
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