Klay Thompson Comparing Kyle Kuzma to Himself Should Thrill Lakers Fans
Klay Thompson is one of the most accomplished and well-respected guards in the NBA right now. So when he compares you to himself, you should probably listen to what he has to say.
Thompson recently drew parallels to Kyle Kuzma's career thus far and where he was around the same stage of his own career. Kuzma is training with Team USA this summer, and Thompson discussed the obvious parallels between he and the Lakers budding star.
Klay Thompson told me he sees similarities between himself and Kuzma at 24 and becoming an all-star after being on Team USA. “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.”
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) August 3, 2019
After Thompson played with the 2014 FIBA World Cup team, the guard became an All-Star the following NBA season. He credited the work and time with Team USA as a jumping off point for his career success. Since that 2014 run, Thompson has five straight All-Star appearances, and is a consensus top-25 player in the league.
The star guard sees the same trajectory for Kuzma, the young forward for the Los Angeles Lakers. Kuzma will play with Team USA this summer for the FIBA World Cup, and Thompson foresees this being the start of an All-Star filled career for the forward.
It'll be interesting to follow Kuzma's career path after this summer. There's no question he is talented, but the jury is still out on if he's an All-Star caliber player. If Thompson is correct, Kuzma will be in Chicago next season for the All-Star Game.