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For the past few years, the Washington Wizards have been downright terrible. Unfortunately, their woes have carried on to the ongoing 2024-2025 NBA season. Since Bradley Beal's departure, the team has been enduring a painful rebuilding chapter.
Nonetheless, they did reinforce their roster with the acquisitions of NBA champions Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma to lead the squad. While the move brought excitement in Washington, the duo failed to transform the Wizards into a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. With the rebuilding Wizards, NBA fans expected the duo to be unleashed, provided that they were given larger roles in Washington.
However, it seems that Poole and Kuzma are turning out to be one of the worst duos to lead a team in the NBA. But while Poole has played relatively better this year, the same cannot be said about the former Lakers forward. As a result, the Wizards' biggest disappointment early in the 2024-2025 NBA season has been Kuzma's unexpected regression.
Coincidentally, it wasn't long ago when Kuzma tweeted about the bottom feeding Detroit Pistons last year.
At this point its like “dont be that team” 🤣 https://t.co/qmWMgPt9Jz
— kuz (@kylekuzma) December 29, 2023
Fast forward to today, his Wizards are now dead last in the Eastern Conference with a 2-15 record.
Kyle Kuzma having worst season in Wizards uniform
Any basketball fan will agree that Kuzma is having a terrible season so far. The one time NBA champion is averaging 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. While those are still respectable numbers, it's Kuzma's lowest scoring season in a Wizards uniform. Furthermore, Kuzma is also shooting the ball at career worst 42.0% from the field overall and a measly 27.6% from beyond the arc.
As one of the focal points on offense, Kuzma's regression has been a huge reason as to why the Wizards have yet to win a game in the month of November. Let's not forget, as one of the veterans of the team, the Wizards expected more out of the former NBA All-Rookie First Team player. In the 2023 offseason, Washington actually signed him to a four year contract extension, worth $90 million. The deal makes Kuzma the second highest paid player in the Wizards' payroll.
Kuzma's poor performance as of late not only hurts Washington's chances of winning some games, but it also negatively affects his stock. As a result, the NBA's cellar dweller would have a difficult time in trying to move Kuzma should they involve him in trade discussions with the hopes of upgrading their roster.
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Kuzma's injury woes
If Kuzma's poor performances weren't bad enough, the former NBA champion suffered another whammy when he injured his rib in the 25-point beatdown loss against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Wizards star also went scoreless during that contest. Prior to the rib injury, Kuzma had already missed five games after straining his groin.
While Kuzma's injury will allow the Wizards to experiment with some of their younger talent, losing one of their top stars ultimately forces them to absorb a massive blow to an already disastrous regular season. As one of the leaders of the team, despite his struggles, Kuzma still allows the Wizards to be competitive on some occasions. Without him, the Eastern Conference bottom feeders will probably have to lean more on Poole in order to snag some miraculous wins.
Aside from Poole, younger players like Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr, and Corey Kispert will be forced to do the heavy lifting. Although the pressure is on for the young guns, no one is really expecting big things from the rebuilding Wizards.
Can Kyle Kuzma shoot out of slump?
It's still unknown as to when Kuzma can return into action. Nonetheless, it would be a welcome sight if the former first-round draft pick can regain his shooting touch. Offensively, at least, it has been a nightmare start for the Wizards forward.
Should Kuzma regain his old form, the Wizards could give themselves a chance to put up a competitive game against the rest of the field. Otherwise, they risk holding one of the worst NBA records of all time. On the other hand, a well-performing Kuzma should give Washington a solid trade candidate in exchange for draft picks that will allow them to enhance their rebuilding roster.
But in reality, given that it's been an injury riddled season for the polarizing forward, it's hard to expect Kuzma to come shooting right out of the gates during his return. Moreover, with the struggling Eastern Conference team expected to ride out another losing season, the drought should continue in Washington even with a fully healthy roster.
