Inside The Wizards

Wizards' Kyle Kuzma Suffers Mysterious Injury vs. Rockets

Kyle Kuzma exited the Washington Wizards loss against the Houston Rockets in the first half.

Jeremy Brener

Jan 7, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) drives to the basket as Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) and Rockets guard Aaron Holiday (0) defend in the first quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Jan 7, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) drives to the basket as Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) and Rockets guard Aaron Holiday (0) defend in the first quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards' injury woes continued during their most recent game against the Houston Rockets, this time landing on veteran forward Kyle Kuzma.

After just coming back from a month-long absence from a rib injury, Kuzma suffered a right calf contusion in the first half against the Rockets and was ruled out by the team. However, just 15 minutes later, Kuzma was deemed questionable to return.

Kuzma ultimately did not play in the second half, where he was replaced by Justin Champagnie to start the third quarter.

In 17 minutes of action, Kuzma totaled 10 points and six rebounds for the Wizards, and the team was a +2 while he was on the court. It's possible that he could have returned considering the team was only down two points when he exited the game. However, the Rockets flipped the game on its head in the third quarter, stretching their lead out to 18 by the time the frame had ended.

Kuzma's switch-up from "out" to "questionable" is probably an optimistic sign that the injury isn't as serious as it was originally imagined, but it still is not a happy feeling knowing that one of the better players on the team is hurt once again.

Another Kuzma injury would be deflating to the Wizards right now. With just over four weeks until the NBA Trade Deadline, Kuzma is potentially an option for the Wizards to move on from. However, an injury could derail any of those plans, so keeping Kuzma as healthy as possible is the key for the team over the next few weeks.

Kuzma's status is up in the air for tonight's game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside Wells Fargo Center in the City of Brotherly Love.

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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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