The Los Angeles Lakers might have lost to the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, but rookie Kyle Kuzma was able to join some elite company.
On Monday night, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a 112-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons. While the loss did eliminate the Lakers from playoff contention, they certainly fought hard despite being short-handed.
In the loss, the Lakers had a few players that performed well, and one of them was Kyle Kuzma. Since Kuzma is from Michigan, playing in Detroit was obviously special to him, and he was able to join some elite company with a strong game.
Kuzma was able to total 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting from the field and 2-for-6 from 3-point range. In addition to the 20 points that Kuzma scored, he was able to help out in a big way on the glass by grabbing 11 rebounds.
The game against the Pistons was the second straight game that Kuzma was able to total a 20-10 game. This impressive feat puts Kuzma in some elite company, as he becomes the first Lakers rookie to do so since Magic Johnson.
Even though Kuzma did hit a slight rough patch in his rookie season, he has really been playing well of late. In the last four games, Kuzma has scored at least 20 points in each of them. All season, Kuzma has shown a great scoring ability. As a rookie, it has been impressive to see Kuzma’s ability to score in multiple ways, as he is very polished on that end of the court.
Next: 3 Takeaways from loss to Pistons
As the 27th overall pick, Kuzma has been able to exceed all expectations as a rookie for the Lakers. Now, Kuzma is considered to be a key piece for the franchise moving forward. On Wednesday night, Kuzma will look to record a third straight double-double and fifth straight 20-point game. Since the Lakers are playing the Dallas Mavericks, Kuzma has a very good chance to accomplish both of those goals.