Taking the court with NBA superstars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, fifth-year forward Kyle Kuzma has had some pretty incredible teammates. But when asked about his favorite Lakers teammate of all time, the recently-traded baller gave an answer you might not expect.
Opening up for fan questions while on a flight Saturday, Kuzma definitively answered a query about his “greatest teammate” thus far.
“Duds and it’s not even close,” he wrote.
Duds and it’s not even close. https://t.co/5t8DRv9YsQ
— kuz (@kylekuzma) August 8, 2021
15th year forward Jared Dudley has been a veteran presence on the Lakers bench for the past two seasons. During that time, he grew close with his 26-year-old Los Angeles teammate.
Kuzma was included in the July 29 trade deal that brought superstar point guard Russell Westbrook to LA. Leaving the Lakers organization that drafted him 27th overall in 2017, the former first-round pick is set to become a member of the Washington Wizards in 2021.
Dudley and James orchestrated a going away party for Kuzma earlier this week.
LeBron & Dudz threw Kyle Kuzma a going away party. pic.twitter.com/w2DVO086rP
— 🏀 (@dribblecity) August 1, 2021
Through his fourth season with the Lakers in 2020, Kuzma averaged 12.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. His production sharply dropped during LA’s first-round series loss to the Phoenix Suns, chipping in just 6.3 ppg on 29.2% shooting from the field.
Completing his one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Lakers this past season, Dudley is currently an unrestricted free agent. Playing just 6.8 minutes per game and averaging 0.5 points in 2020-21, it’s uncertain if the Los Angeles front office will re-sign the 36 year old — especially with the slew of other veteran additions already joining the roster this offseason.
The post Look: Kyle Kuzma Reveals His Favorite Lakers Teammate appeared first on The Spun.