Los Angeles Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma is motivated by the other rookies in his class having impressive showings in the NBA Playoffs.
Los Angeles Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma had an excellent first season in the NBA. Kuzma was named to the NBA All-Rookie First team, joining Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell, Lauri Markkanen and Jayson Tatum.
Three of the players on that list, Mitchell, Simmons and Tatum, helped lead their teams into the postseason. Markkanen’s Chicago Bulls were tanking from the start, while the Lakers injuries derailed any momentum they built.
Kuzma is confident that the Lakers can make the postseason next season. He also said that he is learning a lot from watching the postseason.
Kuzma is an incredibly confident player. Despite being a rookie, he played like a veteran for most of the season. He tied for the team lead, along with Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle, with 16.1 points per game. At times during the season, Kuzma was relied upon as the go-to player.
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Kuzma isn’t resting on his laurels. Despite a great rookie season, Kuzma is hoping to take his game to another level beginning next season. He wasted no time getting back into the gym, as he has already been working out diligently this offseason.
As the No. 27 overall pick, Kuzma was overlooked from the beginning. Meanwhile, Simmons, Mitchell and Tatum were all lottery selections. Simmons was No. 1 in the 2016 NBA Draft, while Tatum was No. 3 in 2017 and Mitchell was No. 13.
Seeing his fellow rookies in the postseason is also serving as motivation for Kuzma.
"“I want to be a really good player in this league,” Kuzma said. “One of the top players. That comes with being out here working, being consistent and diligent in the work.”“Yeah, for sure,” Kuzma said. “All those guys get talked about a lot. I feel like for me, if I was in the playoffs, it would be the same way. Those guys are doing well.”"
Both the Utah Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers made it into the second round of the playoffs with Mitchell and Simmons playing major roles. Tatum was a driving force for the Boston Celtics reaching the Eastern Conference Finals and pushing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games.
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Kuzma is hoping that he can have the same impact with the Lakers sooner than later. The Lakers roster could look much different next season, but you can be sure that Kuzma will still bring it no matter who is playing alongside him on the court.