Right now Kuz is in a similar role to the one AG had in Orlando where he’s being asked to do too much offensively.
Gordan is more athletic and a slightly better defender whereas Kuzma is better as a shot creator, but I’d say overall they have a similar “jack of all trades master of none” skillset.
Sorry had to stop laughing before I could answer
Kuz is not a starter on a title contender. However, He can be and has been a quality 6th man/spot starter on championship team.
Yh I think he could do again but this time be more effective offensively. He was good defensively in the bubble
When Kuzma is a reeled into focusing on shooting threes, and rebounding he is a great role player.
I was over Kuz by the time we traded him but if we spinned the wheels on him again I wouldnt be mad
Jfc, the replies here are fucking insane. Kuzma was a great roleplayer for the lakers and contributed in many ways.
I don’t really get calling kuzma a role player. What’s his role? There’s a difference between being a role player and just being second tier.
Was Danny Green only a role player once he got worse at defense?
Fair enough. At that point in Kuzmas career he accepted being relegated to a role player. Can’t see that happening again even if it’s where he’s best suited.
You guys need to just admit you didn’t watch Aaron Gordon in Orlando and stop making shit up. He played nothing like he Kuzma does now in Orlando. He was basically in the same role in Orlando when we were fully healthy as he is in Denver when they’re fully healthy.
I’m a bit puzzled as to where this narrative has come from that Aaron Gordon was a “role player miscast as a star” before coming to Denver (I’ve seen similar things said outside of this thread too).
Gordon was an athletic high draft pick that might have been expected to develop into a #1/#2 option in Orlando, but the Magic never fully used him that way. From when he became a full-time starter in his 3rd year (2016-17), Gordon was 3rd-5th in USG% among the Magic’s starters every season until he left Orlando mid-way through the 2020-21 season, except for 2017-18 where he was 2nd (just ahead of Evan Fournier), but then went back to being a lesser option after that.
Yes, he’s scoring far more efficiently in Denver (.596 TS%) than in Orlando (.531 TS%), but that’s a product of being on an overall better team, better shot selection (particularly going from 54.3% of his FGA in Orlando coming outside 10FT, to 39.0% in Denver), and getting better/smarter looks from an all-time playmaker teammate in Jokic. His volume of touches is essentially the same (19.8 USG% in Denver, 20.8 USG% in Orlando).
I think more accurately he was a role player expected to be a star, who never really got used like one or became one, who is a better fit playing his role on a better team.
No. Aaron Gordon has a very specific talent and skillset. Makes him a true role player. Kuzma isn’t a role player he’s just not a great player either.
He obviously can but we know kuzma has no intentions of being a roleplayer