A few things Kuzma can definitely improve on is his court sense. Adjustment when his teammates move around the floor must be quick. And he can definitely improve on being a great facilitator/passer. Plus defense can be way better. Yeah, I'm demanding so much from a late 1st round pick rookie. Sue me. Sent from my E6533 using Tapatalk
Kuzma's numbers since becoming a starter are... exemplary. 18.2 points, 8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.1 blocks, 2.3 tos, 47.9 FG%, 38.1 3PT%, 78 F%, 35.6 minutes per game.
Kuzma now has the most points for all rookies at 302, edging out Ben Simmons at 299 points and somewhat of a surprise Donovan Mitchell in third with 268 points. To be fair, Kuzma and Mitchell have played two more games than Simmons, but both Kuzma and Mitchell have started only 10 games to Simmons's 18 games.
Key is winning games. That'll have a huge bearing especially since Simmons is one of the main guns of a Philly team in chase of a playoff berth. If we can keep it close say within 5 games, Kyle will have a great shot if he stays at his current level of play if not better. Sent from my E6533 using Tapatalk
Simmons is a rookie the same way that Blake Griffin was a rookie. He's easily the front runner for ROY.
I much as I like Kuz, if the season ends today, Simmons is the ROY, and it's not as close as we'd like to believe, even with our purple tinted glasses. But if we're talking about players drafted in 2017, Kuz is the best player. He's better than Tatum. Granted he's a couple years older too.
Well fortunately it's a long season and it's not ending today so I wish everyone would stop handing the award to Simmons. Lots of things can happen and the winner has to be healthy for most of the season. Kuzma's scoring these kinds of numbers while passing up (in the flow) high % for him shots because Luke has him on this short leash to make sure he passes the ball to other guys who can't shoot as well.
Think no one in his right mind would give Kyle the ROY award. At least not just yet. Simmons' role in his team is determined already. LAL on the other hand, Luke is still testing the waters. If Kuzma could become their 2nd go to guy at least, he might have a chance, given they're winning games. Sent from my E6533 using Tapatalk
I think it's close, but I'd put him above any player drafted this season. Other standouts are definitely Lonzo, Tatum, Mitchell, and whenever he's healthy Smith Jr. The one thing Tatum has over Kuzma is more solid defensive play. Kuzma is sort of like what we saw from Julius for so long: great focus in man-to-man situations, but his team defense needs work. Still, I think Kuzma's ability to score from all parts of the court make him an absolute standout. It's amazing he slid so far and I'm so glad I was wrong about this kid. There's also Markkanen, Fox, Monk, Ntilikina, and Collins playing well as rookies in spurts. Did I mention I love this draft class?
Id argue Kyle seriously might be the better ALL AROUND player because Simmons cant shoot close to Kyle. It's a fun debate i don't care to get into... But what PG is saying IMO is Simmons will win by default due to popularity. ...........
I didn't think Kyle impacted this game enough in ways beyond scoring. But he is without a doubt in my mind the best scorer from the 2017 draft.
I get that luke wants to increase ball movement, but Kuz is a scorer. Let him spread his wings luke! haha Don't try and make everyone a warriors player. He is what he is at this point. Let him do his thing. Dont sit him cause he's hitting shots. reminds me of baseball coaches who bench lead off hitters for hitting home runs. They want them to just get on base. Makes no sense.
