Kuzma appeared in 65 of Washington's first 67 games last year, averaging 22.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 stocks in 32.1 minutes per game. However, an "ankle" injury sidelined him for 10 of the final 15 regular-season games. Kuzma did twist his right ankle, but the extended absence was partly due to the Wizards tanking for better draft odds, which ultimately paid off as they secured the No. 2 pick and took Alex Sarr. Kuzma's never been an elite category-league player due to his lack of peripheral stats, but he scores enough to be an impactful player in points leagues. As long as he's on the Wizards, Kuzma should have free range to chuck at will, so he could stack up points quickly. However, he doesn't fit into Washington's current rebuild and has been mentioned in plenty of trade rumors. The possibility of a trade or another late-season benching makes Kuzma a difficult player to trust. Nonetheless, there are certainly worse ideas than taking a flier on a 20-point scorer at the end of fantasy drafts. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a four-year, $90 million contract with the Wizards in July of 2023.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Kyle Alexander Kuzma was born on July 24, 1995 in Flint, Michigan, to Karri Kuzma. He regards Larry Smith, who is the father of Kyle's younger brother and sister -- Andre and Briana -- as a father figure. Kuzma attended Bentley High School in Michigan, averaging 17.9 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.4 blocks per game as a junior. In his senior season, he attended Rise Academy in Philadelphia and averaged 22 points and seven rebounds per contest. After high school, Kuzma went to the University of Utah, where he earned a degree in sociology. Kuzma frequently works with YMCAs in both Flint and in Los Angeles, and he donated more than 300 backpacks and school supplies to Flint students in need in 2019. He enjoys bowling in his free time. Learn more about Kuzma by following him on Twitter at @kylekuzma and on Instagram at @kuz. It took Kuzma a couple of seasons to establish himself at the University of Utah. He signed late and redshirted during the 2013-14 season. In his freshman season, the 6-foot-9 forward played sparingly off the bench but showed scoring potential in early-season wins over UC Riverside and Texas-Rio Grande Valley with a combined 33 points. Kuzma moved into the starting lineup as a sophomore and opened the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds, the first of four double-doubles. The Utes advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and the forward had 15 points in a second-round loss to Gonzaga. The Flint, Michigan, native became the go-to scorer for coach Larry Krystkowiak in his third and final season with the team. He led Utah with 16.4 points and 9.3 rebounds. Kuzma had a career-high 26 points along with 12 rebounds in a win at Arizona State. He was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and applied for the 2018 NBA Draft following the season. Kuzma was selected with the 27th overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2017 NBA Draft, but he was traded to the Lakers on draft night.
Still out Sunday
FWashington Wizards
Ankle
April 13, 2024
Kuzma (ankle) won't play in Sunday's game versus the Celtics.
ANALYSIS Kuzma will miss his fifth straight game to end the season Sunday due to a right ankle sprain. The 28-year-old forward will end the 2023-24 campaign averaging 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 32.6 minutes across 70 appearances.
2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
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Stat Review
How does Kyle Kuzma compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
54.7%
Effective Field Goal %
52.1%
3-Point Attempt Rate
34.3%
Free Throw Rate
18.3%
Offensive Rebound %
2.8%
Defensive Rebound %
19.3%
Total Rebound %
10.9%
Assist %
20.7%
Steal %
0.7%
Block %
1.8%
Turnover %
10.0%
Usage %
0.0%
Fantasy Points Per Game
37.4
Fantasy Points Per Minute
1.1
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Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Wizards Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Kyle Kuzma was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
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2017
Kuzma is entering his third season with the Wizards after inking a four-year $102 million contract in the offseason. The versatile forward is coming off a career-best season, where he averaged career highs of 21.2 points, 2.5 three-pointers and 3.7 assists across 35.0 minutes while doing his part on the glass, with 7.2 rebounds. Kuzma hit 33.3 percent from long range -- down from his previous two seasons -- but he took significantly more attempts, launching a career-high 7.5 per outing. His ability to work off the perimeter and drive to the basket makes Kuzma one of the better offensive power forwards in the league. He played 64 games last year, missing a number towards the end of the season due to an ankle injury, but he is expected to be healthy heading into 2023-24. In what will be his seventh NBA season, Kyle Kuzma should continue to shine as an offensive leader for the Wizards, especially with the departure of Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal. Notable also is the Wizards' addition of Jordan Poole, who is sure to swallow up a chunk of the shots on offense but should likewise fit as a good compliment alongside Kuzma's game.
Kuzma seems to have finally found a home with the Wizards. After struggling to live up to expectations during his Lakers tenure, he was traded to Washington during the 2021-22 offseason and responded with a career-best campaign. Even though he failed to play at least 70 games for the third year in a row, Kuzma still averaged 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 combined steals-plus-blocks, posting career-best numbers in rebounds, assists and blocks. Despite the roster changes, all signs point to Kuzma being part of the Wizards' starting five next season, though it wouldn't be surprising if his numbers take a hit considering the presence of Kristaps Porzingis and the return of Bradley Beal, who should operate as the undisputed go-to guy on offense. Kuzma could be worth a shot as a mid-to-late-round selection in most fantasy formats.
Coming off a down year during the 2019-20 season, Kuzma bounced back as he filled in for LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who both missed time with injuries. As for Kuzma's 2020-21 campaign, the 26-year-old averaged 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.6 blocks. Kuzma hit 44.3 percent of his shots from the field and 36.1 percent from beyond the three-point arc. This upcoming season, Kuzma should see a much larger role on a Wizards team that lacks consistent scoring options behind Bradley Beal and the newly-acquired Spencer Dinwiddie. Kuzma finished last season with 25 games scoring at least 15 points, which is the scoring consistency the Wizards will expect from the ex-Laker. The forward will likely compete for minutes with Davis Bertans, Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija, which is much more favorable than his situation with the Lakers. Kuzma should see more production this season, as he'll likely be on the court more and will be able to take more shots. If Kuzma ends up in the Wizards starting lineup, it's possible his assist numbers see an increase since he'll be passing the ball to one of the league's best all-around scorers in Beal.
After two promising seasons with the Lakers to start his career, Kuzma saw declines across most statistical categories in 2019-20. He averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 boards, 1.4 threes and 1.3 assists across 25.0 minutes per contest -- the lowest marks of his career on all fronts. Kuzma's step backward wasn't surprising, as it coincided with Anthony Davis' arrival. With Davis in the lineup, Kuzma lost his starting gig and came off the bench for most of the season. He started only nine games, but in those contests, Kuzma averaged 32.4 minutes and better than 20 points, proving that he could still be a meaningful contributor when given the chance. Over the course of the season, Kuzma's shooting wasn't much different than his first two years, but other than rebounds, his per-36 averages were down across the board as well. Kuzma will have a difficult time picking up his production this season, and the new addition of Dennis Schroder -- a quality offensive player -- will likely complicate matters even further for Kuzma.
There weren't a lot of bright spots for the Lakers last year, as Los Angeles missed the playoffs despite adding LeBron James. Injuries and trade rumors proved to be their eventual downfall. However, one of the bright spots was Kuzma, who appeared in 70 games during his second season in the league. He averaged 18.7 points per game and was once again a weapon from behind the arc by averaging 1.8 three-pointers per contest. The problem was he only shot 30.3% on three-pointers, which was down from 36.6% during his rookie season. His rebounding numbers also declined while he provided very few contributions defensively. Still, he's going to remain one of the key offensive weapons on the team, especially after they dealt away much of their depth to acquire Anthony Davis. While the Lakers will still rely on Kuzma to provide spacing, it wouldn't be a surprise to see his scoring numbers and usage rate decline with Davis now in the fold. Rebounds might also be harder for him to come by with so much size on the floor around him.
After a three-season college stint at Utah in which he was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team during his junior campaign, Kuzma was drafted by the Lakers with the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. After averaging 21.9 points with a 63.9 true shooting percentage at summer league, hype about Kuzma’s immediate potential began forming. That potential was realized right out of the gate, and Kuzma went on to post 16.1 points per game on 45.0 percent shooting from the field and 36.6 percent from deep. His 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest also helped him get voted to the All-Rookie First Team. However, given the new presence of LeBron James, plus the signing of Michael Beasley, it may be tough for Kuzma to reach the 31.2 minutes per game he saw last year. Still, it’s likely he'll be one of LA’s primary sources of offense with the second unit, which should keep his usage high.
Much of the discussion regarding the Lakers’ draft this past June understandably centered around their selection of a potential franchise point guard in Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 overall pick, but Kuzma -- who was selected 27th overall selection by the Nets before being shipped to the Lakers -- looks like he could be more than a footnote. While Ball earned MVP honors and rave reviews for his elite passing during the Las Vegas Summer League, it was Kuzma who was routinely finishing off Ball’s array of lobs and outlet passes. The forward out of Utah came away with first-team honors in Las Vegas, averaging 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals in seven contests. Summer statistics certainly aren’t a predictor of NBA stardom or even NBA usefulness, but Kuzma’s performance nonetheless improves his odds of cracking the Lakers’ rotation as a rookie. Kuzma is already receiving high marks for his ability to defend both small and power forwards and knock down shots from the outside, which could allow him to push Luol Deng and/or Larry Nance for minutes with the second unit coming out of training camp.
More Fantasy News
To remain sidelined Friday
FWashington Wizards
Ankle
April 11, 2024
Kuzma (ankle) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Bulls.
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Downgraded to out
FWashington Wizards
Ankle
April 9, 2024
Kuzma (ankle) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Timberwolves.
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Considered questionable for Tuesday
FWashington Wizards
Ankle
April 8, 2024
Kuzma (ankle) is questionable to play Tuesday versus Minnesota.
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ANALYSIS Sacramento landed DeMar DeRozan by way of a three-team sign-and-trade Saturday, but the club is still looking for ways to improve its roster. The Kings have remained active in trade talks and are eyeing Kuzma and Lauri Markkanen to pair with DeRozan and company, which could arguably form one of the most dangerous starting lineups in the Western Conference. Whether Sacramento is willing to meet the asking price for Kuzma, which has been rumored to be two-plus first rounders, per Michael Scotto of USA Today, remains to be seen.