Utah forward Kyle Kuzma, who had been testing the NBA draft waters without an agent, has opted to hire representation and keep his name in the draft, he tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. According to Goodman, Kuzma is signing with Zach Kurtin of Priority Sports, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility.
“I decided to leave school now because of the benefits it will give to my development, both on and off the floor,” Kuzma told Goodman. “Utah was a great place for me to grow, and Coach K (Larry Krystkowiak) and the staff definitely had a major role in that for me.”
[RELATED: 2017 NBA Draft Early Entrants List (updated)]
Kuzma, who will turn 22 this summer, is coming off a junior year in which he established new career bests in PPG (16.4), RPG (9.3), and a handful of other categories. The 6’9″ forward barely cracks Chad Ford’s top-100 list at ESPN.com, but comes in at No. 68 on Jonathan Givony’s big board at DraftExpress.com.
According to Ford, Kuzma’s rebounding ability and his floor vision will appeal to teams, but his inconsistent jump shot and lack of elite athleticism will likely prevent him from being a first-round pick.
Kuzma is expected to attend next week’s draft combine, per Goodman.