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| Kyle Kuzma said that he is a fan of the PBA's new four-point shot. Ivan Saldajeno |
QUEZON CITY—Count Kyle Kuzma among those who like the much-talked-about four-point shot in the PBA.
The NBA star said on Monday that the PBA's new rule should benefit basketball in general.
"I think it's good for the game. It allows more space, and at the end of the day, a lot of us shoot deep threes everywhere," Kuzma, a former NBA champion who now leads the way for the Washington Wizards, said during a media session at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati.
In hopes of drawing a larger gate attendance this season, the PBA Board of Governors moved to add a 27-foot arc among the lines drawn on a PBA hardwood with every shot made outside the new line counting for four points.
The new four-point arc drew mixed reactions from fans and even players and coaches with one personality verbally disagreeing with the addition being Ginebra coach Tim Cone.
Although he did not mean he is not in favor of the updated scoring system, Rain Or Shine coach Yeng Guiao believes the PBA board should have addressed some vital concerns first like the supposed lack of parity among the roster compositions.
At least in the games that went down the wire, though, the four-point shot became of utmost importance in crunch time, the most notable probably being CJ Perez's dagger four that helped San Miguel beat Phoenix on Wednesday night.
Kuzma, meanwhile, thinks the NBA could become more interesting to watch if the league adopts the four-pointer to its regular season play.
"I think it will be more dramatic in the NBA, and fans would probably like it too," Kuzma further said, adding that Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, the league's all-time top three-point shooter, would have made a living from four-point range.
Other notable stars who tend to attempt from way beyond the 24-foot NBA three-point arc include Damian Lillard and Trae Young.
Kuzma tried his luck from the four-point range during some mini-scrimmages with young basketball players from this city later in the day at the Belarmino Sports Complex and converted two.
He first hit a halfcourt shot casually during one game against kids and hit another during a later session, this time against teenagers and some young adults.
Former PBA three-point king Ren-Ren Ritualo was among those who were tapped to teach this city's young ballers during the clinic.
Other notable coaches in the clinic were former MPBL stars Dan Sara and Ryusei Koga and former champion coach Britt Reroma.
Kuzma first held two fan meets at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay, one right at the mall's atrium and the other at the nearby NBA Store.
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