When the Lakers selected Kyle Kuzma with the 27th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft it raised some eyebrows. There were a lot of people surprised at this selection. Kuzma was a productive player at Utah, but there were some concerns raised, which lowered his stock. Kuzma has quickly proved those doubters wrong.
While it is only summer league, so everything has to be taken with a grain of salt, Kuzma has played very well. He is extremely energetic and one of the bigger surprises for the Lakers.
Coming into the draft many people questioned Kuzma’s range. Thus far, he has looked good as a stretch-4, even playing some small forward because of his floor space. Kuzma has made 38.5 percent of his shots from long-range en route to 18.3 points per game. That includes a monster 31 point game.
In addition to the scoring, Kuzma has showcased his rebounding and passing skills. He is averaging 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He is also providing the defensive stats, averaging 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks.
Kuzma will have an interesting matchup against the Nets. Hollis-Jefferson has been logging a lot of minutes at power forward, which will create a fun matchup. Hollis-Jefferson isn’t as big as Kuzma but is much more athletic. Can Kuzma out muscle the smaller Hollis-Jefferson? Hollis-Jefferson is not going to back down against a bigger opponent, so Kuzma will have to be ready and bring his A game.