Kuzma: Wizards’ abundance of wings ‘successful people problems’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
When the Wizards began their offseason in early June, a few areas of need were abundantly clear.
They needed shooting help, as they were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA last season. And they needed defensive help, specifically on the wings, as the Wizards collapsed on their own end of the floor far too many times last season.
Now that the dust has settled on the offseason, at least for now, the Wizards have added depth in those areas with authority.
They brought in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Corey Kispert to join a lineup already with Deni Avdija, Davis Bertans and Rui Hachimura. They think they can be proficient at both ends of the floor, but feed off one another as well.
“I think you’ve got to realize like, I’m not going to say it’s a logjam, but if you look at the landscape of the NBA, teams always have a bunch of guys that are 6-foot-6 and above that can all play on the court at the same time,” Kuzma said Tuesday. “This league has transformed into kind of position-less. If you have guys that know how to play basketball and know how to defend at a high level, now you’re in business.”
The Wizards and coach Wes Unseld Jr. will have a bevy of lineup options with so many wings and frontcourt players on the roster.
With their offseason acquisitions (including Thomas Bryant, who missed the majority of last season), the Wizards have five players listed at 6-foot-10, three of whom (Isaiah Todd, Kuzma and Bryant) will be on the team this season.
They added Kispert, a 6-foot-7 wing that can shoot the 3-ball well, too.
Now, with a glut of players that can move up and down the lineup, there’s no shortage of lineup decisions that the Wizards can’t make.
“It’s a good problem to have for Wes and the organization,” Kuzma said. “I like to call them ‘successful people problems,’ because we have a lot of great and talented players on one roster. It’s always about sacrifice and trying to win.”
