Los Angeles Lakers: Kyle Kuzma and Kobe Bryant talk a lot

As the purple and gold search for the next franchise player, their last one has been reportedly spending some time bonding with one of their young prospects.

Simply put, Kyle Kuzma was a revelation for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward didn’t stand out all that much in three years of college ball at Utah. Therefore, he was still available late in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft.

The Lakers, however, were pretty impressed after they worked him out prior to the draft. They were so smitten with him that they traded D’Angelo Russell and oft-maligned free agent pickup Timofey Mozgov for Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in the draft. They were then delighted when Kuzma fell into their laps at that exact spot.

After a mighty impressive showing in the 2017 summer league, Kuzma had a strong start to the season. He ended up averaging 16.1 points per game while shooting a solid 36.6 percent from 3-point range.

In addition to his stroke from downtown, he showed an unusually polished set of offensive skills for a rookie and proved to be a strong finisher in transition.

So it wasn’t all that surprising to hear that Kuzma had dinner early in the season with the recently retired Kobe Bryant.

The rookie was reportedly “in awe” of the legend (wouldn’t we all be?) and asked him lots of questions, looking to pick his mind. When asked what exactly they talked about, Kuzma responded:

"“Just work,” Kuzma said. “That’s cliché, but that’s what he stands for, that’s what he values. That’s what I value. So that was really the message.”"

As many Laker fans probably know, Bryant hasn’t exactly “retired”. He’s still a busy man, as he’s now a writer and film producer who just won an Oscar for his film short “Dear Basketball”. He also has a book that will soon be released where he will attempt to educate readers on the meticulous approach that made him a five-time NBA World Champion and one of the 10 greatest basketball players ever.

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Given all that, it isn’t exactly easy for Bryant to set aside time for mentoring young players. However, he has said that he’s an “open book” if any current NBA players want to pick his brain and get help.

Since Kuzma and Bryant have kept in touch since that dinner date last fall, it would seem that the Laker legend thinks highly of the Laker rookie. It seems to be with good reason, as Kuzma has reportedly been putting in double time at the Lakers’ team training facility since the end of the season. It’s shades of the kind of professional work ethic that got Bryant to the top.

So what exactly does Kobe see in Kuzma that impressed him enough to put aside some time to spend with him? According to the Black Mamba, Kuzma apparently is coachable and wants to learn.

"“A lot of GMs are kicking themselves over that [pick]. 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.”"

Next: 50 Greatest Players In Lakers Franchise History

Kuzma may not ever turn into the Lakers’ next franchise player, but if he stays humble, continues to work hard and stays out of Lonzo Ball’s next diss track, he could become a big part of the Lakers’ next great championship team. That is if the Lakers don’t end up trading him for Kawhi Leonard.

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