There’s a lot you can say about Kyle Kuzma’s game, but one thing you can’t say is that he isn’t confident.
When he steps on the court he absolutely thinks he’s the best player out there no matter who else is on the court with him. It can be Bradley Beal or LeBron James. It doesn’t matter.
Sometimes, that confidence manifests itself in some pretty hilarious ways. On Tuesday night against the Pistons, Kuzma had a solid game. He finished with 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, two blocks and a steal. Nothing too crazy, but all in all, a good game.
It just came with one hilarious lowlight when Kuzma thought he was Steph Curry.
He shot a corner 3-pointer by the Wizards’ bench and turned to his teammates before the shot could go in. But, as it turns out, the shot didn’t actually go in. It just clanked off the rim.
The pregame wardrobe was a puffy black jacket of sorts with matching pants, with the jacket so puffy that it covered half of Kuzma’s head.
Kuzma rocking this strange outfit certainly got NBA fans to pay attention, if only to make a few jokes at the NBA star’s expense at just how strange this fashion decision is. It’s certainly not out of the norm for Kuzma, but it’s definitely weird all the same.
Well, if you ask us, it looks like Kuzma is the deadly xenomorph from Alien. Essentially, if you see Kuzma dressed in this and charging at you on a spaceship, you need to run. After all, no one in space can hear you scream.
However, plenty of people here can hear you make some jokes at Kuzma’s latest fashion faux pas.
Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma is shocked that Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was not named an All-Star starter.
The 2023 NBA All-Star game is right around the corner as Feb. 19 is right around the corner. The best of the best in the NBA will descend upon Salt Lake City to compete in the midseason showcase and put on a show for the fans.
The Philadelphia 76ers received a bit of a shock on Thursday night when it was announced that Joel Embiid will not be a starter for the Eastern Conference in the game. The big fella is having another incredible season as he’s averaging 33.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting 53.2% from the floor. The Sixers are having success due to his dominance.
Embiid not being named a starter has left some shocked as Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma took to Twitter to give his dismay over Embiid not being named a starter.
Regardless if he’s starting or not, Embiid will undoubtedly be at the All-Star game representing the Sixers. He and James Harden will likely be named as All-Star reserves.
âWeâve got to be better than that,â Stephen Silas said of the #Rockets after Washington stormed back. âWhatever, young and inexperienced and all that, weâve got to be better.â
HOUSTON — As soon as Rockets head coach Stephen Silas walked into the press conference room for Wednesdayâs postgame press conference, you could see he was not happy.
Gone was the smile that Silas usually displays, regardless of circumstances. His tone and demeanor were not close to the same as 48 hours ago, when he had spoken to reporters after the Rockets had broken their 13-game losing streak by defeating Minnesota.
He was infuriated â and had every right to be â after watching his team blow a 19-point lead to the visiting Washington Wizards on their way to a 108-103 loss (box score).
Leading 81-71 to start the fourth quarter, Houston (11-37) allowed Washington (22-26) to go on a 12-2 run to tie the game. Kyle Kuzma hit 20 of his game-high 33 points in the final quarter as the Wizards outscored the Rockets, 37-22, on their way to a fourth straight win.
Rockets center Alperen Sengun kept Houston within striking distance by recording his second career triple-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. He became only the second 20-year-old to post those numbers, joining Lakers legend Magic Johnson.
It is easy to point to the Rocketsâ youth and inexperience for the late-game collapses. Three of their main starters (Sengun, 20, Jalen Green, 20, and Jabari Smith Jr., 19) are under 21. Yet, Silas no longer wants that to be used as an excuse for his teamâs lack of execution.
âLate third quarter, we got away from the things that are about winning, about building winning habits, about taking the right shot, about making the right pass, and weâve got to be better,â said Silas, who likely relayed that same message to his team, albeit with a sterner tone. âWeâve got to be better than that. Whatever, young and inexperienced and all that, weâve got to be better.â
Houston has played very well in the first half of many of their 48 games this season, and on Wednesday, they took a 58-43 lead into halftime. Yet, just as they have in their 37 losses this season, they collapsed in the second half. They went away from the ball movement and execution that helped them build their leads.
âWe were in the locker room talking about having the same mindset,â Green said. âDonât let off because that is what we have been doing this whole time. We obviously get the lead in the first half, so just sticking to whatâs working in that first half and continuing through and through, not try to let the ball stick so much, keep moving the ball.â
The Rockets must correct their late-game mistakes quickly. The Cleveland Cavaliers come into town on Thursday night for the second night of a back-to-back and the finale of a three-game homestand. Houston hits the road to take on the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.
HoopsHype ranks the 10 players who have appeared most often in trade rumors over the past week, led by OG Anunoby and Bojan Bogdanovic.
With the NBA trade deadline mere days away, we’re back with another installment of our trade rumors rankings series, in which we rank the 10 players who have appeared most often in trade rumors over the previous week.
After the somewhat surprising deal that saw Rui Hachimura get sent to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and draft capital, a reminder was sent to NBA fans to expect the unexpected, even in what many project to be a quiet trade deadline.
Below, check out the 10 players who have appeared most often in our trade page over the previous week.
There’s something funny about Spencer Dinwiddie saying the Wizards don’t play winning basketball.
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The Washington Wizards beat the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, stunning the home favorites by a point despite not having Kristaps Porzingis available for the game. The result didn’t sit well with former Wizards guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who was traded for Porzingis last season.
Dinwiddie, who had 20 points, eight assists and a game-high +16 on the floor, said Wizards players were just “trying to get paid” and not playing “winning basketball.” The Mavericks, he said, have “real aspirations.”
Spencer Dinwiddie on Wizards: "Theyâre not playing for nothing for real⌠itâs a showcase. They're over there trying to get paid, not trying to play winning basketball. For a team that has real aspirations.. an MVP, went to the conference finals last year, we have to be betterâŚâ pic.twitter.com/VO1QwcYlN9
It was some sort of weird reasoning for why Dallas should have won, but it also wasn’t that far off the mark. Washington’s 21-26 record on the season would tell you they aren’t playing winning basketball. And their recent trade of former first-rounder Rui Hachimura was potentially the first of more moves on the way.
But what does that say about the Mavericks, who are only three games better than the Wizards? Kyle Kuzma had a thought on Twitter, saying “the funny thing is they don’t play winning basketball,” talking about the Mavericks. And that’s really the kicker in this whole thing.
The funny thing is they donât play winning basketball đ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Łâđ˝âđ˝âđ˝đđ˝đ¤Ą https://t.co/O4klCwulLG
Regardless of win or loss, the Mavericks don’t play what’s typically considered “winning basketball” either. According to NBA.com, they’re easily the most isolation-heavy team in the NBA, going to iso on 12.8% of their possessions — the only team over 12%. Luka Doncic and Dinwiddie are second and third among players in isolation percentage.
The reasons why they play this way are understandable when you consider the roster. But it’s not a style of play typically considered “winning basketball.” There’s never been a team as iso-heavy to win a title as far as the data goes back. The Golden State Warriors were a bottom-seven iso team when they won last year’s title (and bounced Dallas on the way).
That’s all before we even get to the Mavericks’ bottom-five defensive rating, something that makes it even harder to say they play a winning style of basketball. And that’s where Dinwiddie’s winding and wildly unnecessary explanation for Tuesday’s loss eventually got to. “We have to be better to a man. Not offensively… it’s defensively.”
I would argue it’s both. Either way, there’s too much to worry about in Dallas for him to also be worrying about the Wizards.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Dillon Brooks is considered the heart and soul of the Memphis Grizzlies, a team with the second-best record in the Western Conference and considered a title contender.
That’s not just because of the toughness and other intangibles he brings to Memphis, but also because of his defensive impact. Brooks always takes the toughest assignments for the Grizzlies, earning praise as a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
However, while he elevates the team on one end of the court, he’s hurting them on the other end. My colleague Bryan Kalbrosky brilliantly illustrated how Brooks’ offense is a detriment to the Grizzlies using different data, including Simon Gerszbergâs version of Shot Quality:
“According to the database, 73.6 percent of Brooksâ shots are considered bad possessions so far this season while only 16.2 percent are graded out as good possessions.
To put that in perspective: Among the 219 players who have finished at least 250 offensive possessions, only two (Detroitâs Killian Hayes and Oklahoma Cityâs Tre Mann) currently have a higher frequency of finishes defined as bad possessions.
For comparison, last season, there were 409 players that finished at least 150 offensive possessions. But no one in the NBA had a higher frequency of bad possessions than Brooks did (77.1 percent) in 2021-22.”
Yikes. That is awful and certainly seems like something the Grizzlies will want to address.
Toronto Raptors (+135) at Sacramento Kings (-3.5, -155), O/U 238.5, 10 PM ET
The Kings are home for one last game before seven straight games on the road, and with seven wins in their last eight games, I’m guessing they’ll want to give the home crowd one last thing to cheer for before taking off. I like Sacramento to win and cover the 3.5-point spread. Light the beam!
Shootaround
— LeBron James looked miserable after dropping 46 points in a loss
— James’ big night moved up the timeline on when he’s expected to break the scoring record
By now, the Washington Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma’s extremely long and large pink sweater from November 2021 has become a persistent meme in the NBA sphere. Back then, folks didn’t hold back from roasting Kuzma’s eccentric fashion taste with an outfit that seemingly made so little sense and, quite frankly, still doesn’t to this day.
A little over a year later, he may have finally one-upped himself.
Before Kuzma’s Wizards took on the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night, the team showcased the forward’s latest style choice — a colorful wool ensemble (with a wool sheath over his head), light-teal corduroy pants, and some normal basketball shoes.
Describing Kuzma’s outfit in writing simply doesn’t do it justice:
I mean, c’mon, man. What’s the aim here? There’s no way Kuzma thought this looked good in a rational sense.
At least Kuzma backed up his weird fashion. He dropped 30 points in a tight-knit 127-126 win over Luka Doncic and the Mavericks. Whether Kuzma’s outfit actually inspired such a performance … well, I’d need to see more evidence first before I made any declarations.
HoopsHype ranks the 10 players who have appeared most often in trade rumors over the previous week, led by John Wall and Fred VanVleet.
With just weeks remaining until the 2022-23 NBA trade deadline, we’re ranking 10 players in this edition of our trade rumor rankings series, as there are too many players to discuss to make the cut-off of just five, as we usually do.
We’ve only seen one trade thus far this season, an inconsequential salary dump involving the Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and Noah Vonleh, who is now a free agent.
We should get some more action prior to the deadline, though, even if it isn’t the most hectic of trade deadlines.
Below, the 10 players who have appeared most often in trade rumors over the previous week, as judged by appearances on our trade page.
LeBron James is poised to play in his 17th game on Christmas Day, which will surpass Kobe Bryant for the most appearances in history. James is also the all-time leader in points (422), field goals (150) and 3-pointers (28). He is tied with Dwyane Wade for the most wins with 10.
Players have put up some incredible performances over the years in the annual showcase. Several of the best to ever play own various career records on the holiday, including Bill Russell (rebounds), Oscar Robertson (assists), Shaquille O’Neal (blocks) and Russell Westbrook (steals).
Some have even had great efforts in their rookie seasons.
Rookie Wire sifted through the archives and took a look at some of the biggest performances by a rookie player on Christmas Day, several of which would go on to make the Hall of Fame.
Maybe they’re not trading for Zach LaVine. But who else could be available?
The Lakers had a recent resurgence, but still have a losing record this season. As of right now, they’re on the outside looking in on the playoffs.
Considering that they owe their first-round pick to the Pelicans in a swap, however, they do not have the option to bottom out and tank. Instead, with Anthony Davis playing some of the best basketball of his life, Los Angeles will likely pursue deals to improve their roster.
It seems far more likely that Los Angeles pursues “smaller deals” involving mid-sized contracts like Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn rather than a bigger trade centered around Russell Westbrook and one or multiple future first-round picks.
That means that there could be multiple trades on the horizon, and based on what we know so far from all of the reporting, these are the most likely trade candidates for Los Angeles.
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