Recently, Klay Thompson praised Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers, and believes that playing on the National Team will help him grow.
As Kyle Kuzma prepares to enter his third season with the Los Angeles Lakers, he will be spending time this summer with Team USA. Compared to years past, this roster for Team USA isn’t nearly as strong as we have seen it.
A lot of the top stars in the league aren’t playing, but there is some young talent that is looking to prove themselves. One of those young players is Kuzma. With training camp for Team USA set to start on Monday, Kuzma will be looking to make an impression.
Playing with the National Team is great for a young player to gain experience and confidence. Practicing and playing with some of the best players in the world on a daily basis will only help grow your game.
Recently, Klay Thompson spoke about the growth that we could see from Kuzma with the National team. Here’s what he said via Arash Markazi of The L.A. Times.
"“I know him playing for Team USA is going to pay huge dividends for him because that’s what it did for me. … That was the turning point in my career, playing against international superstars. If he goes out there and plays hard and puts the team on his shoulders, that’s going to give him so much confidence coming into this season like it did for myself in 2014.”"
Thompson is certainly a player that would know the benefits of playing with the National Team. Getting that experience over the summer can greatly improve your game, and Thompson really took a step forward after playing with Team USA. Now, Thompson is considered to be an All-Star every season.
For Kuzma, he will be hoping to do the same. As he gets ready for his third season, Kuzma will hopefully be able to gain valuable experience with the National Team, and bring that back for next season.
As he prepares to play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Kuzma will be the third option for the Lakers next season. If he takes another step forward this coming season, he could end up being one of the best third options in the NBA. Potentially, the experience gained over the summer will catapult him to that.