Sorry, conspiracy theorists: Kyle Kuzma’s ankle injury was not something made up as an excuse for cutting him from Team USA; it’s legitimate and still bothering him.
Kuzma was cut by Team USA last month just ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China due to his ankle injury, which coach Gregg Popovich termed a “huge disappointment.” Even a month later Kuzma is still trying to recover from the injury.
The New York Times’ Marc Stein reported on Tuesday that Kuzma is expected to miss the beginning of the Los Angeles Lakers’ training camp.
The injury, initially labeled "ankle soreness" last month while Kuzma was on @usabasketball duty, forced Team USA to send him home from Australia after the third-year Laker was expected to land a significant frontcourt role for Gregg Popovich
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 24, 2019
Stein interestingly was told the injury is a “stress injury” in Kuzma’s lower left leg. Kuzma seemed to respond to the report with a tweet.
Internet know more about me than I do myself apparently lol
— kuz (@kylekuzma) September 24, 2019
Kuzma is only entering his third season in the league, but due to all the changes on the Lakers’ roster, he was acting like a team leader over the summer. The 24-year-old averaged 18.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season.
