Kyle Kuzma
Kyle Kuzma was the No. 27 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Many draft pundits questioned the selection, as many believed he wasn’t worthy of being a first-round pick. They questioned whether or not his offensive skill set would translate to the NBA as a stretch-4. Thus far, they have been proven dead wrong.
Kuzma has been one of the biggest steals of the 2017 NBA Draft. He first turned heads during the Las Vegas Summer League, where he was outstanding. People said well, it was only Summer League lets see him do it against NBA talent. In the preseason Kuzma once again played well, but people still weren’t satisfied, wanting to see it in games that counted.
Well, what are those people going to say now? Kuzma is the Lakers leading scorer, averaging 16.7 points per game. He is making 50.4 percent of his shots and 37.9 percent from deep. In addition to the scoring, Kuzma is grabbing 6.1 rebounds with 1.6 assists per game.
The Lakers could not have dreamed of Kuzma being this productive this quickly. He fits in any lineup as his skill set allows him to play off of any of his teammates. He has succeeded as a starter or coming off the bench with the second unit.
The Lakers found a good way in Kuzma, as he was passed on 26 times before the Lakers called his name on draft night.