Former Wizard Jahadi White provides his insight on the play of Kuzma thus far
After a rough preseason, Wizards fans were hopeful that Kyle Kuzma would regain his usual form once the regular season started or would play his way into form if conditioning was behind the slow start. However, through five games, that has not been the case.
Last season, Kuzma averaged 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.7 turnovers. He shot 46.3% from the field and 33.6% from three. So far this season, he’s averaging 15.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 3.2 turnovers. He’s only shooting 35.4% from the field and 31.3% from three. His defense fell off somewhat last season and so far this season it feels safe to say it at the very least hasn’t gotten any better.
Given that he’s already 29 years old, Kuzma likely isn’t in the Wizards’ long-term plans so it seems reasonable to speculate at some point they’ll have to find him a new home. Given the Wizards dearth of overall trade assets, they need to maximize value for any veterans they move on from. This dip in production and efficiency has led many fans to ask what this has done to the trade value of the veteran forward.
Former Wizards center Jahadi White will offer a former player’s perspective on that during a live Bleav in Wizards podcast today at 3:35 p.m. EST. White has seen situations like this playout firsthand, so he’ll weigh in on what might have caused this slump, how it affects his young teammates’ development, whether the poor shot selection is likely to impact his standing with teammates, what it does to the organization’s culture, and if there’s anything Brian Keefe can be doing to help the situation.
Feel free to join us in the chat to offer your own opinions on the situation or to ask White any questions directly.