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Los Angeles Lakers: 5 takeaways from five-game road trip

By Kenneth Teape

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 21: The Los Angeles Lakers huddle up before the game against the New York Knicks on January 21, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 21: The Los Angeles Lakers huddle up before the game against the New York Knicks on January 21, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers: Does Kyle Kuzma have a legitimate shot at Rookie of the Year
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 23: Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after his third three pointer during a 108-107 win over the Boston Celtics at Staples Center on January 23, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Kyle Kuzma Cooling Off

The rookie wall is something that some people believe to be true, while others just shake it off. A rookie in the NBA has an adjustment to make in skill level, but also in the schedule. College teams usually play about between 30-35 regular season games. In the NBA, that is half the schedule.

While players will sometimes pay it no mind, it does impact them in some way. Rookie Kyle Kuzma looks to currently be going through that.

Kuzma has been a huge surprise for the Lakers this season. He has surpassed all expectations as the No. 27 overall pick, as he leads the Lakers with 15.7 points per game. Kuzma has also added 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

While those are excellent statistics for a rookie, Kuzma has cooled off recently. During the road trip, Kuzma struggled mightily. In the five games, Kuzma averaged 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.4 blocks and 0.6 steals per game in 22.8 minutes. All are below his season average except the defensive stats, oddly enough.

Kuzma shot 34 percent from the field and shot 1-of-13 from deep. He scored in double-figures only once, as Walton went with other players.

If the Lakers want to keep the momentum going, getting Kuzma back on track is a must. The NBA season is a marathon, so it is expected that players will have some valleys with the peaks. Hopefully, this valley doesn’t last too much longer.

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