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The Washington Wizards entered their Tuesday night contest against the Detroit Pistons missing one of their most crucial pieces in Kyle Kuzma due to a knee injury. Kuzma’s absence did not end up mattering, however, as the Wizards took care of the lowly Pistons with ease following an efficient 36-point night from Bradley Beal. Nonetheless, on Friday night, with the Wizards visiting the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, they will need Kuzma’s scoring as they take on one of the best teams in the conference.
And that is exactly what appears to be what the Wizards will be getting against the Cavs. According to Ava Wallace of Washington Post Sports, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. revealed that Kuzma “should be available” tomorrow in Cleveland despite being just a partial participant at practice today.
With Kyle Kuzma on track to make his return from a single-game absence, it should be Corey Kispert who makes room for the 27-year old forward in the Wizards starting lineup.
Kuzma should be motivated to perform well against the Cavs; after all, the Wizards are holding on by the skin of their teeth to the final play-in tournament seed, as they are only half a game ahead of the 11th seed Chicago Bulls.
Moreover, Kuzma did not play particularly well during his last contest against the Cavs. In 37 minutes of action during their October 23, 2022 matchup, Kuzma put up just 11 points and two rebounds on 4-8 shooting, a far cry from his usual averages of 21.2 points and 7.3 rebounds on the campaign.
Kuzma then missed the Wizards’ February 6 contest against the Cavs, which ended in a 114-91 defeat for the team in the nation’s capital.
At the very least, the returning Kuzma gives the Wizards additional size against a Cavs team that prides itself in controlling the interior. Perhaps Jarrett Allen, who has missed the Cavs’ past three games, could be back on the floor by then, which should make Kuzma’s presence that much more valuable.
Kuzma’s return should also take some usage off of Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal’s hands — Porzingis’ and Beal’s usage drops by around three percent with Kuzma around.