Inside The Wizards

Wizards Unsure of Kyle Kuzma’s Role After Return

Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma is back in action for the team.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 30, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) drives to the basket against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
Dec 30, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) drives to the basket against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
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Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma made his triumphant return to the lineup after a month away from the court due to a rib cartilage injury.

In 21 minutes off the bench for the Wizards, Kuzma scored nine points as Washington lost 126-106 to the New York Knicks.

With two-way player Justin Champagnie taking over his spot in the starting lineup and coming off a 31-point performance against the Knicks on Saturday, the Wizards opted to keep him in his spot over Kuzma.

Wizards coach Brian Keefe said that the 21 minutes was around the restriction the team had laid out for him, but also that his playing time moving forward was "to be determined."

With just a few weeks before the trade deadline, Kuzma is considered to be one of the players the Wizards are looking to move on from. Teams are interested in Kuzma's services and the more he plays over the next few weeks, the likelier opponents will be looking to trade for him.

This means that the Wizards have to walk the fine line of choosing how much to play him versus how much to play the younger players on the team.

The Wizards want to showcase Kuzma enough but also want players like Champagnie and Bilal Coulibaly to not have their place in the rotation affected.

The Wizards are hoping to get the best of both worlds, but the reality is that one agenda will always be pushed more than another. It's why the Wizards should be more keen to trade Kuzma than they were a year ago, so that's the direction the team should be trending in as the final weeks before the deadline come into fruition.

The Wizards return to the court tomorrow night against the Chicago Bulls. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET inside Capital One Arena.

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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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