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Chicago • It didn't take long for Ivan Rabb to answer when considering the most underrated players at the NBA draft combine.

"I think Kyle Kuzma is very underappreciated," said the Cal big man, who faced Kuzma three times last season. "He's a big that can do it all. He can put it on the deck. He can play the three or the four in my opinion. He can defend, he can play off the bounce. He's aggressive and plays hard."

By the week's end in Chicago, many NBA scouts and executives had the chance to see what Rabb saw: a 6-foot-9 forward with versatility and toughness. Several draft analysts graded Kuzma, coming off an All Pac-12 junior season at Utah, as one of the winners of the combine.

Of everyone in attendance, former Iowa State guard Monte Morris was probably least surprised. He's had his eye on Kuzma since the second grade.

"He shot it good today — he said he wanted to do that and he did it," he said. "Kyle is a great friend to me, probably one of the hardest working guys out there."

The duo has that in common, helping them both earn invites to the combine and giving two guys from the same hometown a shot to get drafted on June 22. Both say Flint, Mich., helped sculpt them into the players they have become, giving them the chip on their respective shoulders that they needed to make it to the NBA.

"That's what we're built on," Kuzma said. "Being from Flint, we always had to battle dudes from Detroit. They call the Flint the little brother. People never believe in guys from Flint. Now it's like, 'Hey I told you so.' "

Their friendship has roots in elementary school. Said Morris: "Kyle was more the class clown, and I liked to laugh. It kind of acclimated from there."

That laughter grew into sleepovers at one another's houses. Their mothers doted on them both like second sons. And there was always basketball, and therein competition between the two.

"Honestly, we've always been serious about basketball — that's all we've ever done," Kuzma said. "It's all love, but we definitely get on each other."

Growing up, there was nothing Morris and Kuzma wanted to be more than Spartans. Some of their earliest basketball memories are of watching "The Flintstones" — Flint natives Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson and Charlie Bell — winning a national title for Michigan State in 2000. When they played one another, they would bicker over the chance to play as their favorite Michigan State stars.

But by the time they were recruiting age, both were overlooked by Tom Izzo and his staff. Morris said he never played well when Izzo was in the stands, while Kuzma's academic issues kept him off a lot of schools' lists.

"We went our separate ways," Kuzma said. "We might've done some big things there, but it worked out for both of us."

They've stayed close: Morris said they talk three or four times a week, particularly after games. Throughout his Utah career, Kuzma has been able to recite Morris' stats by memory.

While both have the NBA in their sights, Kuzma and Morris have not left Flint behind. The ongoing water crisis, as well as violence and economic hardship in the area, make them both want to use their positions as athletes to bring awareness and aid to their hometown.

"I feel like it's one of the most forgotten cities in the country," Kuzma said. "I'm gonna do as much as I can to put it on the map."

It doesn't seem as though Kuzma and Morris can claim being underappreciated much longer: Kuzma's stock is rising following his turnout in Chicago, while Morris said his meetings and he believes he'll have a facilitator role in the NBA.

It wasn't the easiest path, but it helped shape them. They believe their roots will help deliver them to the pros soon enough, where perhaps they'll be an inspiration to a new generation of kids in Flint.

"It means a lot for the city of Flint to have two guys in the draft, have two guys going through this process," Morris said. "So hopefully we both can hear our names called on June 22."

kgoon@sltrib.com Twitter: @kylegoon —

Two kids from Flint

Monte Morris • First-team All Big-12 from Iowa State. ... Averaged 16.4 ppg, 6.2 apg, 4.8 rpg as a senior. ... Measured 6-foot-2.5 at the combine with a 6-foot-4 wingspan.

Kyle Kuzma • First team All Pac-12 from Utah. ... Averaged 16.4 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.4 apg as a junior. ... Measured 6-foot-9.5 at the combine with a 7-foot-0.25 wingspan.