Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma and Monte Morris reflect on first year as NBA teammates

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Kuzma and Morris reflect on first year as NBA teammates originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

One of the more wholesome storylines from the Wizards’ 2022-23 season was the reunion between Kyle Kuzma and Monte Morris. Kuzma and Morris have been on quite the journey together since growing up in Flint, Michigan, to now playing as NBA teammates in Washington.

Many NBA players dream of having the opportunity to play alongside a childhood best friend and also give back to the place where it all began. There’s a certain chemistry and passion that is formed when playing basketball with someone whose been by your side since the second grade.

Kuzma and Morris have been on similar paths early in their NBA careers. Both were selected in the 2017 NBA Draft, played for Western Conference teams, and then eventually were traded to the Wizards.

They’ve had some competitive battles on the court, too. During the 2020 playoffs inside the NBA bubble, Kuzma’s Los Angeles Lakers went on to defeat Morris’ Denver Nuggets in five games and ultimately beat the Miami Heat for Kuzma’s first NBA title. Now teammates, they hope to win one together.

“You want to win for sure, but [playing together] was something that we accomplished, and it was a very fun year,” Kuzma said during an end-of-season interview. “Obviously us being kids, growing up, it’s so funny we come in here and we talk crap to each other, and we tell old stories about each other in front of everybody. He knows Kyle, he doesn’t know Kuz, he knows Kyle and I know him too. We have a great brotherhood too.”

Kuzma and Morris had no idea if they would ever wear the same threads in the NBA, but that all changed once Morris was traded to Washington in July, 2022. The two know each other very well, but learned more about each other as new teammates.

“He’s a guy who speaks up, he’s a guy who holds everyone accountable even when he wasn’t playing,” Morris said. “I always knew how smart he was you know just growing up with him, but actually being in the locker room with him and things like that it’s different being a teammate. I was just excited to…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wizards-kyle-kuzma-monte-morris-190000845.html?src=rss

Author : NBC Sports Washington

Publish date : 2023-04-25 19:00:00

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