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Los Angeles Lakers: Kyle Kuzma will fill many roles in regular season

By Michael Padilla

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 17: Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks downcourt against the Portland Trailblazers during the 2017 Summer League Finals on July 17, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 17: Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks downcourt against the Portland Trailblazers during the 2017 Summer League Finals on July 17, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers power forward Kyle Kuzma took home MVP in the championship game. Can he work his way into the starting lineup come the regular season?

With being said, let’s take a step back and dabble into the overall progression of Los Angeles Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma solely based on statistics alone.

In Kuzma’s freshman year at Utah, he averaged 3.3 points per-game, playing an insignificant amount of minutes. Understandable, though the time he did receive on the floor, 45% of his shots were going in. Kuzma attempted a mere 2.5 field goals per contest and to many, that is a meaningless statistic. However, the transition from his freshman season to his sophomore year was evident.

Kuzma tripled his scoring average, putting up 10.8 points per-game on 52.2% shooting from the field. Now that’s an impressive leap. Though he did receive more minutes, you’d expect less efficiency given a larger role, but Kuzma proved otherwise.

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Following the Toronto Raptors selection of then Pac-12 Player of the Year and Utah alum, Jakob Poeltl in the 2016 NBA Draft, Kuzma garnered an excessive amount of pressure to be the next guy up entering his junior year.

He did not disappoint. Kuzma would average 16.4 points per game along with 9.3 rebounds, as well as shoot a respectable 50.4% from the floor. Kuzma was a near double-double machine, though Utah came up short to qualify for the NCAA Tournament despite a 20-11 record.

Fast-forward to the 2017 NBA Draft Combine. Kuzma was a relatively unknown prospect. Nevertheless, he earned his way up the draft ranks with a 20 point performance, which certainly caught the attention of Lakers President of Basketball Operations, Magic Johnson. In attendance with Johnson was general manager, Rob Pelinka.

It was a no brainer for the Lakers front office to select Kuzma with the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and his Summer League performances were a constant reminder of that. Kuzma averaged 21.9 points per-game, which would eventually result in becoming the 2017 NBA Summer League Finals MVP and being named to the All-NBA Summer League Second Team.

Next: 3 Lakers Standouts From Las Vegas Summer League

Kyle Kuzma’s work ethic is something you can’t teach, and I absolutely believe he can earn his way into any starting line-up. Whether it be the 3 or the 4, Kuzma is a position-less player willing to do whatever it takes to contribute a victory for his team.

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