Although the regular season only ended a few weeks ago, Kyle Kuzma is ready to hit the gym again.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma took the league by storm in his rookie campaign. While many teams doubted that he was NBA material, Kuzma used that as motivation in his first year.
The 6-foot-9 ballplayer averaged 16.1 points (tied for the team lead), 6.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He shot the ball at a respectable clip from deep, making 36.6 percent of his attempts from that distance.
His abilities on offense branched far beyond being a good 3-point shooter, though. The sheer fact that fans caught glimpses of his occasional, effective sweeping sky hook says a lot.
Skills along those lines are not formed overnight. It is reflective of how strong Kuzma’s work ethic is, which is extremely promising for a 22-year-old.
Due to how much Kuzma shattered expectations as a rookie, even Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was in awe of the young blood from the get-go. This says something because the Black Mamba is not an easy one to please.
Back in November, Bryant treated Kuzma to dinner and the pair strictly talked about hoops. The two picked one another’s brains during the meal, and, according to what Matthew Moreno of Lakers Nation reported at the time, Kobe valued one trait about Kyle in particular.
"“A lot of GMs are kicking themselves over that one. He’s extremely articulate and very inquisitive. I think that’s always the best trait to have, is curiosity. Because you want to know why things work. You want to know why things happen and how things happen. When you have that kind of curiosity, you’re constantly seeking for ways to improve mentally, physically. That’s the thing that jumped out at me the most.”"
The “curiosity” Bryant brought up has not faded one bit. Even though the Lakers are not too far into their offseason, rumor has it that Kuzma wants to get back to work.
According to Harrison Faigen of SB Nation, Kuz’s trainer, Clint Parks, leaked Kuzma’s desire to get down to business. Via his Twitter account, Parks specifically revealed the following.
This tweet certainly substantiates Bryant’s thoughts on Kuzma. It imparts that the Michigan native is eager to learn and grow.
This attribute is not ubiquitous by any means and is especially less common within those at Kuzma’s level of experience. While Kuzma could opt to sit back and relax, the Lakers’ forward wants to put in the time to become better. It is definitely very Kobe-esque, to say the least.
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Albeit Kuzma has a ways to go in his career, the fact he is taking on such an approach is encouraging. Kuzma clearly desires to have an even better sophomore campaign.
It is not to belittle his rookie year. Via Lakers reporter Mike Trudell, Kuzma admitted in mid-April that he exceeded his own expectations. However, the Lakers’ bigger picture revolves around something much bigger than individual success.
The team is hungry to get back to the postseason, which they failed to do again in 2017-2018. Although the squad improved for sure, the Lakers’ standards are at a different level.
That being said, Kuzma’s desire to already start offseason training is commendable. It showcases how badly he wants to help the purple and gold reach new heights in 2018-2019.
While Kuzma has many weapons in his pouch already, it is wonderful to see that he plans to fine-tune them. Moreover, it is every bit as wonderful to know that his offseason work could lead him to add even more weapons.
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On that note, the NBA better be prepared for Kuzma this autumn. Otherwise, the 22-year-old marvel is sure to take advantage of their napping tendencies yet again.