On Friday, Team USA Basketball matched up against Spain in Anaheim in one of their few scrimmages before the start of the 2019 FIBA World Cup. While there has been a lot of talk about the relative weakness of this Team USA roster due to most stars dropping out of the competition, the quad still managed to beat the perennial European powerhouse 90-81.
For Lakers’ fans, focus was on Kyle Kuzma who played a lot more in Team USA’s second scrimmage than their first and showed out with a strong performance. Notably, the forward showcased his new 3-point shooting form which has fans excited that he will have a bounce-back year from behind the arc.
Kuzs new form. pic.twitter.com/coFjSDylsO
— UnwrittenRules (@UnwrittenRul3s) August 17, 2019
Overall, Kuzma scored seven points and added five rebounds and three assists, flashing a strong all-around game. He also led the team with a plus-minus rating of +13 in 17 minutes.
You can watch highlights of Kuzma’s performance here:
Kuzma is one of only 13 players remaining on the Team USA roster and expected to make the trip to Australia to play more scrimmages before heading to China for the World Cup. Only 12 of those players will be on the official World Cup roster. Kuzma made his case in this game, showing Team USA coaches and management that he has a valuable skill set for the squad in China.
