Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma suffered an unfortunate ankle injury, forcing him out of international competition.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been busy the last few days. After DeMarcus Cousins tore his ACL, the team has been focused on trying to fill the void he has left on the roster.
While that has dominated headlines, one of their players has been representing the organization overseas. That player would be Kyle Kuzma.
Kuzma took part in Team USA’s training camp leading up to the FIBA World Cup. Kuzma had been playing well and looked to be a lock for the team once World Cup play began. Unfortunately, we won’t see Kuzma taking part.
Kuzma suffered an ankle injury that kept him out of the team’s exhibition game against Australia over the weekend. Kuzma helped defeat Australia in the previous game, knocking down three 3-pointers en route to 12 points in the game.
That production was missed, as Team USA lost their next exhibition against the same Australian team, 98-94. It was the first loss in 13 years for Team USA, who had been riding a 78-game winning streak.
There was hope that Kuzma would return for Monday’s game against Canada, but that didn’t happen. It was determined that his ankle injury would prevent him from participating in the World Cup, so Kuzma was left off of the final 12-man roster.
More from Lake Show Life
- 3 Most likely positions the Lakers will use for the last roster spot
- Kings signing castoffs from Lakers’ nightmare seasons is strange
- ESPN predicts a better season for the Lakers even with Russell Westbrook
- 3 Reasons LeBron James passes Michael Jordan with another Lakers title
- No star has done so little with as much help as Lakers’ Russell Westbrook
Losing Kuzma is a pretty significant loss for Team USA. He had provided a scoring punch off the bench as the sixth man, knocking down 3-pointers and showing more willingness to defend. This kind of experience would have been great for Kuzma to have and carry into the regular season preparation with the Lakers.
Kuzma had a bigger than anticipated role with Team USA because of all the withdrawals that occurred. Their loss was Kuzma’s gain, as he was given an opportunity not many people receive. Unfortunately, it was cut short because of injury.
With Kuzma being ruled out, the final 12-man roster is now set. Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker of the Boston Celtics, Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks, Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets, Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings, Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, Mason Plumlee of the Denver Nuggets, Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers and Derrick White of the San Antonio Spurs will make up the roster.
Hopefully, this injury isn’t a severe one for Kuzma. He will have plenty of time to get ready for Lakers’ training camp that will begin in a few weeks.