Day: January 26, 2025

Kyle Kuzma has apparently had enough of deferring to his younger Wizards teammates. Kuzma said he’s done trying to fit in and will play his game moving forward.

“I think today I just decided to be myself and not really just try to fit into everything that we’re doing here, and just really played in the moment,” Kuzma said. “I think my mom helped me out with that. I saw her today.”

When pressed on what not fitting in means, Kuzma double-down by saying he plans to be more aggressive in games.

“I mean just not trying to fit into what we’re trying to do here. Just being more assertive, demanding the ball, not just going out there and trying to let people develop. Just playing my game,” Kuzma said.

The veteran forward’s comments came after the Wizards lost to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. Kuzma scored a season-high 30 points and matched his season high with 11 rebounds.

This season hasn’t gone well for Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. Due to injuries and suspension, Embiid has appeared in only 13 games. Despite all of that, and Embiid’s lengthy injury history, the Sixers remain committed to their franchise player.

“We’re still really happy with Joel,” 76ers majority owner Josh Harris told The Athletic. “He’s a warrior. I’ve seen this. He’s fought through a lot of injuries. You remember when we started, in his first (two) years, he didn’t play at all. And then, in his third year, he played 30-something games. And then, he fought through all of that, and became the MVP. So, he’s fighting right now, and we’re fighting. And I’m hopeful and optimistic that we’ll get through.

“I want him to get his body right and get on the court. If he gets back on the court, everything’s going to fall into place. I know him as a person, and I know him as an individual, and I know how hard he’s working. I think he’s also super-smart and very in-tune with his body. He has a whole team around him, and we have a whole team around him. He’s getting the absolute best care and best advice. I’m hopeful that he’ll fight through this and make it happen, and that’s what we’re going to plan for right now.”

The 76ers don’t believe that Embiid’s knee will require surgery. The team also doesn’t think extended rest will help the veteran center to get back on the court. The Sixers think Embiid is better off when he’s actively engaged in ramping up to play.

The Philadelphia 76ers season hasn’t gone according to plan. But the team isn’t ready to punt on this season yet. Sixers leadership still thinks they have an elite team when healthy.

“I would say that, again, we always start with trying to build elite teams,” 76ers governor Josh Harris told The Athletic. “We started this season with two potential Hall of Famers, and one All-Star. We were very excited about the season. Obviously, it’s been a disappointing season. No one’s happy with where we are. We’re not happy. I go to a lot of games. We want to be winning and creating the contending team that we’ve had over the last five years. The injuries haven’t helped us. The elite team we had hasn’t been on the court more than seven games, where they started and finished the game. We won six of seven of those. I think we got it right.

“But what’s happened is, obviously, Joel hasn’t played a lot. He’s the lynchpin of the whole thing. When he doesn’t play, the pressure comes on Paul, and it comes on Tyrese. And Tyrese has had to carry a lot of the load, and, in some cases, Paul has had to carry a lot of the load. And people have had to do things that they weren’t necessarily prepared for.”

Harris also said that the team will take a few more weeks to figure out their direction for the remainder of the season.

“So, the next few weeks are important, what happens there,” Harris said. “We’re going to see what happens there and make a good decision. And we’ll audible at that point, and we’ll find the right spot. We have a great front office. Nick Nurse won an NBA title. Unfortunately, we ran into that that year. Daryl (Morey) and Elton (Brand) are good at what they do. We’re honest. Give us a few weeks to answer that question. We’re going to react to that.”