He just doesn’t look himself. I’m curious of what is going on. Does his foot still hurt? Has he still not caught up with the team? He just doesn’t look like the aggressive Kobe protégé he was last year though he hits clutch 3’s.
Yeah I don’t get it, he looks like he has lost all his confidence, and that’s what got him to be one of the biggest steals of his draft. Still though, was great to see him spark our run, he hit a 3, another jumper, and then another 3 in the comeback, and THEN that huge 3 from the corner to put us ahead.
That's possible. He has some questionable decisions... But he's 24, he has a skill-set we definitely need when he's playing well, etc And he was very key to the victory tonight...
Kuz making those two 3's late was the turning point. I think Kuz needs to slash and shoot. That's his strength. Handling the ball and trying to be a playmaker may not be what he needs right now. Maybe he can develop it eventually. But his shooting at 6'10 and lanky speed should be his 1 and 2 options each game. I would watch Glen Rice tapes when G Money was in his prime.
The other possibility, speaking of gear, is it could be the Puma’s. That is a new shoe for him. He’s not slashing and running around like last season. I mean what would you do if you signed on to a company then realized your feet don’t work well in the shoe they made for you. Remember Metta had that problem with that Chinese brand he was wearing.
Kuz needs the ball to get his groove on. Turning him into a catch-and-shoot player doesn't work. Frank needs to work on giving him some more action. He's not confident out there because he rarely gets the ball. When Caruso and Rondo are out there with AD, they basically give it to AD at the high post and wait for an ISO. Tough to get anything going when you're ball watching. I would like if they trusted Kuzma more because we will need him to beat some of these higher echelon teams.
Kuz is doing well; I just fear that he'll be traded if he's not playing well... Rob is very aggressive, IMO; and with a win now window, I don't want Rob to get shortsighted here; just a concern of mine. But, given these facts: he's been big in the Chicago, Suns, and Pelicans, and his shooting splits have gone up. He's also 24 and our best asset, but I like Kuz (as a person), and I want him here long-term. In fact, I like: Caruso, Cacok, Norvell, and THT, too. Given the fact that the cupboard is bare (with assets), we need to continue developing these pieces, and I hope they stick.
obviously depends on the return, though, right? i don't want him traded because his current value to others is probably lower than his value to us. but if someone wants to give us a highly impactful vet (think a pg/c/sf version of danny green), we aren't in a position to say no. who is that player? no idea. robert covington type? but we certainly shouldn't be shopping him. i'm very curious to see how kuz's contract negotiations go when the time comes. could see it all over the map.
Kuz is getting a lot of backlash and I think folks are forgetting that Kuz is doing or trending in the right direction in what we wanted or needed from him when we have 2 star players. His defense was pretty solid when he came back and then got lit up completely by Pascal Siakam. But his offense is really rounding the corner and all his numbers are up when it comes to scoring efficiencies. Also he had the best quote after the game, lol
I think trading Kuz would be silly simply because you’re not going to find the level of production he gives you at the same price point. Yeah he’s struggled, but he was starting to get it before he hurt his eye, and once the goggles were off again he started to get it in the 2nd half of the last game too. He makes like 3 mil this year and 5 mil next if give the qualifying offer. If he can get back to the 15-18 ppg role with the catch and shoots and cutting/slasher role then there’s no reason to even think about shopping him. As much as I agree Rob is aggressive, reports were we fought hard to keep Kuz out of the AD deal, so I can’t see him being moved unless it really benefits us. As of now he’s our best backup 3/4, he’s still young, bargain contract, I think he’s safe for at least this season. But, as long as he can he signed back at a reasonable price when the time comes, I’d like to see him stick around for much longer as well, he seems to have the clutch gene and has displayed it from pretty early on in his career, that’s not something you give away lightly.
My only fear is that we'll overpay for him later on down the line. If we sign him for a modest price, sure tall Clarkson's good to have. (They have the same exact career box plus minus)
