Lakers' Kyle Kuzma Deletes Tweet with Middle Finger Emoji to His Critics

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma had a strong message for his haters Monday night after L.A.'s 107-99 win over the Atlanta Hawks. 

According to Dijo Songco of Clutch Points, Kuzma posted and then deleted a highlight of himself locking down Hawks guard Trae Young defensively on a play. Kuz accompanied the highlight with the caption, "KuZ dOnT pLaY dEfEnSe," along with a middle finger emoji.

The 25-year-old Kuzma has been on the receiving end of criticism for his defensive play since entering the NBA in 2017, but the critics have seemingly grown louder over the past two years as his statistical output has dropped off.

After averaging 16.1 points per game as a rookie and 18.7 in his second season, that average dropped to 12.8 last season to go along with 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

Despite his rough 2019-20 campaign, the defending champion Lakers signed Kuzma to a three-year, $39 million contract extension during the offseason.

The Lakers have performed well as a team this season, with their 16-6 record putting them a half-game behind the first-place Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference, but Kuzma's inconsistent play has continued.

Through 22 games, he is averaging a career-low 9.9 points to go along with 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 assist. He is also shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Kuzma has his flaws, including a lack of consistency on the defensive end, but he is still young and can keep opposing teams honest with his solid three-point shooting ability.

He tends to take a backseat to the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell, but Kuzma is a solid complementary role player nonetheless

Kuzma also showed Monday that he can play some strong defense when he bears down, but that is something he'll have to do more often if he wants to secure the respect and admiration of more fans.