Inside The Wizards

Wizards' Kyle Kuzma Has Inefficient Night vs. Hawks

The Washington Wizards didn't get the most efficient night from Kyle Kuzma.

Jeremy Brener

Oct 26, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) walks up to the court during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
Oct 26, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) walks up to the court during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
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Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma led the team in scoring in its 129-117 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night at State Farm Arena.

Kuzma had 24 points, which is a solid number in the box score. However, it came on a very inefficient 11-of-28 shooting from the floor. On the season, Kuzma is shooting just over 36 percent overall and 27.9 percent from beyond the arc, which are numbers that simply aren't good enough to win basketball games.

Wizards coach Brian Keefe explained why Kuzma and the team's offense didn't function well against the Hawks.

"They started pressuring us, the shots got more contested. We probably didn't search out the extra pass as much as we had been,” Keefe said postgame.

The Wizards scored 39 points in the first quarter but managed just 11 in the second, bringing the team's momentum to a screeching halt. Before they knew it, their double-digit lead had evaporated and the Hawks started building one of their own.

The game could have ended up much like the last one against the San Antonio Spurs, where they scored 130 points. However, the Wizards weren't hitting their shots at the same rate as the Hawks, and it led to their demise.

In order to fix this, the Wizards have to take smarter shots, and if Kuzma is going to take 28 shots in a game, they have to be better looks.

Kuzma has the ball in his hands quite often, so he needs to be able to diagnose what shots are the right ones to take. If he is unable to do that, the Wizards won't win very many games moving forward.

The Wizards are back in action tomorrow night as they take on the Detroit Pistons at home.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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