The youngsters on the Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to be playing in the postseason sooner than later instead of watching them.
Los Angeles Lakers fans and NBA fans alike will all be glued to their televisions for Game 2 of the 2018 NBA Finals on Sunday night. Spectators around the basketball world have invested hours upon hours of NBA Finals coverage, and we’ve only seen one game.
Throughout the season, fans want to have something to root for. This includes watching their team improve their record, making the playoffs, or for some fans, hoping to see a deeper run for their seemingly always average team.
Unless you have rooted for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, your favorite team once again has gone fishing or wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs.
For Lakers fans, it has been many fortnights since watching playoff basketball.
Please, No More Sauce Awards in LA
NBA All-Rookie First Team honoree, Kyle Kuzma, has put much of his offseason to good use. Kuzma has devoted time to getting better, trying to one-up a stellar, yet surprising rookie campaign.
Through social media, Kuzma has been shown working on his game, bonding amongst teammates during social activities, and of course, doing what he does best – poke fun at teammate and starting point guard, Lonzo Ball.
In Bleacher Report’s Inaugural Sauce Awards, which includes the awards “Way Too Woke,” and “Troll of the Year,” Kuzma won the “Player Hater of the Year,” award because of his social media activity towards Lonzo and the rest of the Ball family. Kuzma also is responsible for coining the moniker “slender man” for last year’s NBA All-Rookie recipient and teammate, Brandon Ingram.
Kuzma is currently in China to help support the continued rise of basketball in the country. He, along with Hall-of-Famer David Robinson will be watching the NBA Finals in many cities in China, while hosting “NBA Cares” basketball clinics for migrant school students. Kuzma spoke to Lakers.com saying,
"“The NBA Playoffs have been amazing, and there is no better way to celebrate the game than to share the excitement of The Finals with the fans in China.”"
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The receiver of trolling by Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, has much to prove in his 2nd year in the NBA. In spite of being named to the All-Rookie Second Team, Ball missed plenty of games due to injury. Between working on his game and being supportive of his expecting high school sweetheart, Denise Garcia, Lonzo has his work cut out for him this offseason.
Aside from working out on the court, Lonzo has many off-court projects. Working on his rap game is one of them. While many people out there believe Ball has better rap skills than other pro athletes, ESPN’s Seth Greenberg had this to say:
"” – is he more interested in his music than his basketball? At this age, he should be totally invested in his game. It seems like he’s invested in his music game as much as his basketball game.”"
As stated in Andrew Joseph’s USA Today article depicting Greenberg’s criticism of Lonzo (and brother LiAngelo) for having after-work activities, many other players, past and present, have delved into hobbies off the court.
As for off-court hobbies go, 1st-year standout, Josh Hart, has one of his own. A simple “Josh Hart” google search brings up the PC game “Fortnite” automatically after his name.
The four-year Villanova graduate and 2015-16 NCAA Champion had become a key member of the young core. His defensive abilities, hustle, and overall basketball know-how have made Hart a fan favorite.
For many, his game gives off a sense of familiarity that can be compared to former Lakers’ role players like Trevor Ariza and Derek Fisher — a familiar face that fans can grow to love and remember. Hart posted 4th amongst rookies in 3-point percentage (39.6), shot 64.9 percent around the rim while averaging 15 points and nearly seven rebounds after the All-Star break.
Make no mistake, Hart holds Fortnite dear to his heart, winning B/R’s “Fortnite’s Player of the Year” award, becoming the 2nd Lakers player to win a “sauce award.” And while Hart’s love for gaming has definitely rubbed off on both Lonzo and Kuzma, Hart stole a page from Kuzma’s trolling playbook, offering his take of Lebron James’ Game 1 pre-game outfit saying,
"“Bron’s arguably the best to ever do it but let us not ignore the trash fit he wore today.”"
Purple and Gold gun usage
Kuzma, Ball, and Hart entered the league together and have made their presence felt on and off the court. This core of former 1st-year players would rather be playing deep into the playoffs instead of winning irrelevant sports website awards. Too much of their time is focused on trolling each other online and avoiding tampering charges while playing Fortnite in front of an audience.
This Lakers trio will be center of attention within the next coming weeks and months, with speculation surrounding their future with the team, in part, due to the potential magnitude of this year’s free agency class.
With the NBA Draft on the horizon (June 21st), the Lakers are looking to, once again, draft the best players available with the 25th and 47th picks. With presumably so much of their careers ahead of them, time will tell if this was one of the best draft classes in Lakers history.
The NBA Finals resume Sunday night, with Cleveland looking to compartmentalize a heartbreaking loss at the hands of the Warriors in Game 1.
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The Lakers have been on summer break for almost two months now, and like the rest of the NBA — Kuzma, Lonzo, and Hart can only hope to be apart of the postseason tournament that is the NBA playoffs, rather than trolling each other on the virtual battlefield.