Josh Robbins: The Wizards have defeated the Wolves 105-103. Solid performances from J. Valanciunas, Jordan Poole, R Holmes, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George but especially from Kyle Kuzma, who had 31 pts, 8 boards, 2 assists & had the defensive contest on a potential game-winning 3.

Source: x.com

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“I think today I just decided to be myself and not really just try to fit into everything that we’re doing here, and just really played in the moment,” Kuzma said. “I think my mom helped me out with that. I saw her today.” Asked immediately what he meant by playing in the moment and not trying to fit in, Kuzma answered, “I mean just not trying to fit into what we’re trying to do here. Just being more assertive, demanding the ball, not just going out there and trying to let people develop. Just playing my game.” -via New York Times / January 26, 2025

On Saturday, minutes after his best all-around game this season, and with the NBA trade deadline looming on Feb. 6, Kuzma said he intends to be more assertive and indicated he’ll be less likely to try to fit into the franchise’s plan to develop its youngsters. -via New York Times / January 26, 2025

“We’ll see how it goes. I don’t know. I think last year was the right time [to stay] after signing the deal. That was kind of more of a last year thing,” he said. “We haven’t had conversations, haven’t even talked about the deadline, haven’t talked about getting traded. This is really the first time I’m really talking about it.” Kuzma could be a valuable trade chip at the deadline. At 6-foot-10, he has the size to defend multiple positions and move between either forward spot — the Wizards have mainly used him as a power forward. Kuzma has been a focal point of the Wizards’ offense over the last few seasons. That likely wouldn’t be the case if he is traded to a contender. -via Washington Post / January 21, 2025

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Wizards snap 16-game losing streak behind Kyle Kuzma