Many Washington Wizards mistakes have gone viral on social media this season, and one more recently involved Kuzma trying to score by bouncing the ball off the backboard to himself.
NBA fans mocked Kuzma for failing to pull off a trick that Kobe Bryant once used.
Some people call Kuzma an immoral basketball player.
A fan said unceremoniously that Jordan Poole's influence was transmitted to Kuzma.
Some people call the Wizards the Terriers.
A fan said that Kuzma should focus on winning.
A fan said that no matter how many times he watches it again, he feels that this movie is getting more and more funny.
To be fair to Kuzma, he has actually managed to do it in a few games, so this is not something out of the blue. This also happened in October of this season against the Memphis Grizzlies, but for some reason is now trending on social media. As it went viral on social media, Kuzma took notice and defended himself.
"Man, that was a good move and I got fouled haha, what's good to see here haha."
He did get fouled, but maybe he walked before that and the referee missed it. Of course, Bryant used this trick very well back then.
Kobe was one of the players Kuzma looked up to as a kid, so it's no surprise that he's trying to do the same thing himself. Only on this occasion, it went horribly wrong.
Kuzma responds to Nick Kyrios’ teasing
If it’s not clear, Kuzma does pay attention to what people say about him. Tennis star Nick Kyrios recently publicly wondered how a moderately talented NBA player like Kuzma could get a contract worth more than $100 million.
"He doesn't understand that the four-year contract Kuzma of the Washington Wizards signed this summer is worth $100 million -- nearly as much as Roger Federer's career bonuses ($130 million)." He even Not a top-50 player," Kyrios said of Kuzma.
Kuzma obviously noticed, and responded with a simple response to the Australian: "Nick Kyrios, count my brothers."
And that was it. The NBA generates more revenue than tennis, which means great players like Roger Federer earn just slightly more in their careers than Kuzma makes in one trade.
Kuzma signed a four-year, $102 million contract this season, and one thing is for sure, he has lived up to it. The 28-year-old averaged 23.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. The Wizards have a terrible record this season, with only 3 wins and 20 losses, but this is certainly not Kuzma's problem.
Kuzma gives real response to Wizards' defensive issues
There are many reasons why the Wizards will be terrible in 2023-24, but the biggest reason may be their defense. Their current defensive rating is 121.9, the worst in the league. It's hard to win games when you're last in the standings, and as Kuzma put it, the Wizards couldn't hold a "stop sign."
"We can't hold a stop sign. That's what it is. We let anybody get what they want. So, unless we change that, that's probably what the outcome will be."
Wizards' last 16 games After losing 15 games, you don't see any hope.