nice words, but the reality is he has already been offered in a trade Kuzma knows it too, and is off Social Media after feeling some heat for mediocre play. Hope he stays and makes himself as valuable and he feels he can be. If he does, we're much better for it.
i don't follow this too closely--do we know he's off social media due to a) trade rumors or b) fan backlash? couldn't it just be...you know...understanding that there's not a ton of reward in it?
He's been getting a lot of heat lately because he pumps himself up in his posts during the offseason and well his play just doesn't live up to what he's been posting about. During the NBA finals there was even a petition going around that he would not get a ring if the Lakers win. He wanted to do something nice and give out 5 PS 5s but was just getting a lot of hate from Lakers twitter about his play and he had enough and closed shop. I think it might do him some good. He's a young dude but he posts a ton of attention grabbing stuff on IG and Twitter. It would be mutually beneficial for him to just step away from social media for a while
In terms of a plateau reached etc Kyle shouldn't be thought of as a 25-year-old experience-wise as he has the experience of a typical 22-year-old NBA player. And one whose 3rd year was a massive shakeup in terms of his role and possibly his overall mindset. This year was one hell of a learning experience and Kuz is going to improve playing under the same system and with a likely increased role with Green now gone. In fact, I think it's impossible he doesn't improve quite a bit. Young guy on a LeBron team is tough first year, he did well. If he keeps the defensive focus going but also manages to work himself into the offense better, get that 3 working again and penetrate as he can, he'll be a big contributor. I'm of the opinion he doesn't get moved unless it's for a no-brainer but we likely will have money issues to pull something off as Green was our movable money piece.
Hopefully he gets it by now--the time you save NOT dealing with your f'n brand that very few people care about, and the time (I believe, wasted) on social media, when instead used of improving oneself basketball-wise he could have been a much better and more consistent player by now. It is funny how someone like Alex Caruso who was undrafted, understands it completely. While AC had to work hard for everything because he had to, being drafted at number f'n 27 shouldn't mean he doesn't need to.
Caruso probably spends the time he saves by not posting on social media playing Call of Duty or something. Each of us could probably reinvest the time we use on this forum to get better at our own crafts. I think you’re vastly overestimating how much time it takes to fire off a tweet and it’s unrealistic to not accept how ingrained social media is with the younger generations. I’m also curious how much you actually follow his social media. Have you directly observed an over abundance of social media posts? Or is this just an inflated perception that has developed from a few examples? I have my concerns about Kuzma’s fit on our team and may have a personal dislike for social media, but I don’t agree with using his social media activity to bash his character or work ethic. Kuz is not a silver spoon. He didn’t come from privileged conditions or wealth, he wasn’t a particularly heralded high school recruit, he wasn’t even projected to be a first rounder until he started busting his a** off and rising up the boards following the combine and pre-draft workouts.
^All good points, and it’s true, I don’t follow anyone on Twitter to really know how much try post. It could just be my perception of Kuz vs AC, and the reality might be completely different.
this is part of why i was asking, actually, the above debate. there's no way to train all day, and social media--depending on the person--may not take much time. the real question is whether you arrange your life FOR social media. and maybe that's the difference between the eagle and kuz? that said, i'm not sure heavy social media engagement is good for anyone, particularly celebrities. i know that the "brand building" is important for some, but celebrities, for the most part, have already built one--and it's usually build by whatever made them famous. now, you've got kardashians and influencers and such, but if you're an nba player or an actor or something, you've already got a platform and don't need to work so hard to get people to like/pay attention to you. so if you're doing it, it must be rewarding to you, personally. i can imagine liking to engage with fans and getting a kick out of the praise, etc. but then people petition for you not to get a ring--which is pretty weird behavior, quite frankly--and you realize that the costs here aren't worth the benefits and that opening yourself up to praise opens a bigger door for really spiteful critics that you would have never seen before.
Caruso has a much higher basketball IQ than Kuzma. I'm sure they both work hard to improve their game but you can't teach basketball smarts. Kuzma isn't exactly the smartest player out there.
i actually disagree. i think he's pretty smart, and it's one of the main reasons he's been successful. he's actually not incredibly athletic nor particularly skilled. you can tell he's worked hard on his ballhandling and shooting, because i don't think his eye/hand coordination is as great as many of these guys. but he knows where and when to cut, which you really can't teach.
When you play with LeBron, you better learn how to cut or figure it out because you're going to get a wide open basket. You say he's been successful but what exactly has he been successful in? He didn't have a good year last season. His shooting has been horrible at 31%. Kuzma is a mismatch in many lineups and that is why it's frustrating when he isn't more efficient out there. 6'9, quick, and has very good length. He should be getting 16 PPG-18 PPG in his sleep last season.
he averaged nearly 20ppg in his second nba season? he's not a mismatch because he's not that great. he can't break guys down off the dribble, and he's not strong enough to post and go to work. he has to be an opportunistic scorer and has done so pretty well. i don't think there were 16-18 points to be had with how we played him last year.
I agree. Kuz is a pretty smart player in terms of BB IQ. Certainly above average. But compared to Caruso, he's not going to seem too smart. Caruso is the Isaac Newton of Basketball. We have the Albert Einstein in Lebron. We also have the Joe Dirt of basketball in Javale McGee.
Tatum , Mitchell and Fox got ridiculous money this weekend. Its on Kuz. If he wants that paper he needs to step up big time.
Only a matter of time before Ingram gets it as well.. And seeing Fox get that contract and Lonzo not even being close to that kind of offer is tough
1. kings will regret that deal 2. that said, i was on team "trade down from 2 to get 5 and 10 and take fox and collins" who, oddly, went 5 and 10 and might both be better than lonzo. \ 3. ok, some said we tried to do that, so i'll shut up 4. no--i won't! i said we should have moved the #2 for george 5. i don't know if that still makes sense in retrospect 6. fin.
