In Kyle Kuzma’s nine NBA seasons, he’s gotten to play with two of the greatest players of the modern era. The first four years of his career were spent on the Lakers, the latter three of which included playing alongside LeBron James. Since last year’s trade deadline, he’s been on the Bucks with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Kuzma also spent the better part of four seasons with the Wizards, but the less said about that time, the better.
LeBron and Giannis have gone against each other as All-Star Game captains on three separate occasions, but there aren’t many players who have spent extensive time on both of their teams outside of All-Star weekend. Kuzma is one of them, which gives him a unique lens from which to compare the two megastars.
In a recent interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, Kuzma was asked to compare the difference in floor spacing between playing with LeBron and Giannis. His answer was an interesting one.
“That’s a good question,” he said. “Very similar. But they play different positions in the fourth. Bron’s more of a guard. Giannis is a guard as well, but does a lot more damage. Probably from eight feet and in.”
Fans are going to run with this statement to make it seem like Kuzma thinks Giannis is a more impactful player than LeBron, but there’s more at play here. First of all, these unicorns have proven that for some, basketball truly is positionless now. Both are among the most impressive and strongest physical specimens in the NBA, but while both have the body of a power forward, neither totally plays like one.
LeBron has become more perimeter-oriented as his career has gone on, and with how often he has the ball in his hands, he’s always been more of a point forward. Giannis has mostly spurned the 3-pointer, preferring instead to bully his way to the basket with a handle that’s simply unfair for a man of his size.
There have been many stages to LeBron’s lengthy career, but even when Kuzma played with him from 2018-21, the kid from Akron was already more of a grizzled veteran.
LeBron attempted more 3s in those seasons than he ever had before, while his free throw attempts dipped precipitously from his early Cavs days. He was no less effective, but he had evolved his game from being an unstoppable freight train into something more cerebral.
Giannis led the league in free throw attempts each of the past three seasons, and though his rate is just slightly down this year, he still only ranks behind Luka Doncic and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in that department.
This has to be what Kuzma is referring to. As a Laker, he saw LeBron transition into being more of an outside threat, while Giannis has continued to get to the basket at will and use his physicality as a blunt instrument.
Kuzma has to be grateful to have played with both LeBron and Giannis. He won a ring with the Lakers in 2020, and even though the Bucks have struggled to start the year, it’s still better than being in Washington.
Whether or not he’ll continue to suit up with the Greek Freak will come down to whether or not Giannis requests a trade in the coming weeks.
