The Washington Wizards have several new faces in the fold, which showed in their 122-102 opening-night loss to the defending champion Boston Celtics. Veteran forward Kyle Kuzma admitted that the squad has a ways to go before reaching its full potential.
The former Los Angeles Laker stressed defensive communication, via Monumental Sports Network’s Bijan Todd.
“It’s still a work in progress. Not only the rookies but as a team, we don’t talk enough, especially defensively,” Kuzma said. “Hence why we have a lot of lapses, a lot of ill-advised things in transition for defense. So I mean, it’s a learning thing, but that’s the thing that we have to develop.”
Washington had several positive moments on defense, including nine steals and six blocks. However, it wasn’t consistent, as the Celtics shot 46.7% from the field and shot 27 free throws compared to the Wizards’ 18.
Asked if the communication issues fall on the coaches or players, Kuzma said “It’s every player, because if you’re on the court you gotta talk.”
Kuzma hadn’t played with any of Washington’s prominent rotation players besides Corey Kispert for more than a year before this season, so it’s no wonder why he felt that way.
Communication relies heavily on team chemistry, which isn’t fixed overnight. The long, incremental process of each teammate learning each other’s tendencies and play styles may be painful at first, but nothing worthwhile is easy.
Kyle Kuzma appreciates Wizards’ competitive spirit
Although the final result wasn’t pretty, there were plenty of encouraging signs on Thursday night. While Jordan Poole dazzled with 17 first-quarter points, the most important development was Washington’s three rookies each providing positive moments.
No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr had two blocks and a putback slam, Bub Carrington also had two blocks and consistently battled defensively against Jrue Holiday, and Kyshawn George had a dunk and a steal with two assists.
Kuzma was happy to see the young bucks go toe-to-toe with the cream of the NBA crop.
“I think it was good for them to get out there and play against the world champs,” the 29-year-old said. “That’s like a different level, but I think we competed, I think all three of ’em, and that’s important.”
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Their next chance to build on their NBA debuts comes on Saturday night, as the Wizards host the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kuzma discussed how Washington should try to handle Cleveland defensively.
“Two bigs at the rim at all times, wanting to protect each other, I think that’s one of the tougher things when we play the Cavs,” the Utah alum said. “Also, just their dynamic offensive talent [is challenging to face].”
The Cavaliers have power forward Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen as twin towers inside, the former earning NBA All-Defensive First Team status in 2023 and the latter gaining All-Star status in ’22. Sarr and Jonas Valanciunas must be dialed in on both ends to keep those two at bay, and shooting guard Donovan Mitchell is coming off of a 26.6 point-per-game campaign.
Kuzma, though, could also help by finding his rhythm from deep. The 6-foot-9, 221-pounder was 0-for-5 from beyond the arc against Boston, a continuation of a preseason in which he made just five of 26 three-point attempts. However, all it takes is a couple of shots to fall in a row for a slumping player to regain confidence.
Losing big to the defending champions is one thing, but Cleveland will play its third game in four days on Saturday. Can the Wizards use their fresher legs to take advantage?