Los Angeles Lakers: Kyle Kuzma doesn’t feel added pressure with LeBron James
There is added pressure on the Los Angeles Lakers after they signed LeBron James, but Kyle Kuzma isn’t feeling any of it.
The Los Angeles Lakers came away as big winners in the 2017 NBA Draft. They landed three rotation players in Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart. Of the three, Kuzma was arguably the most surprising.
Kuzma was not as highly regarded as Ball as a prospect or as successful as Hart, who won a National Championship with Villanova. However, he had the best rookie season of the three.
Kuzma dominated the Las Vegas Summer League, taking home MVP honors in the championship game. That performance continued throughout the preseason and into the regular season as well.
Kuzma was tied for the team lead with 16.1 points per game. He added 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31.2 minutes per game. An impressive repertoire was shown throughout the season offensively, as Kuzma put any worries about his ability to be a stretch-4 to bed early on.
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This season, there is a chance that Kuzma takes his game to another level. There have been multiple videos of Kuzma working on his game. He has been performing in both the gym lifting weights and on the court.
The influx of talent on the roster should also help raise Kuzma’s game. The one player who should help him improve it the most is LeBron James.
For the second consecutive offseason, the Lakers were big winners. They landed James on a four-year, $154 million deal.
Getting a long-term commitment from James was surprising, but it shows that he is ready to help the Lakers for the long-haul. He is not looking for a quick fix, as he did not want the Lakers young core traded. The young core the Lakers has excited James and he wanted to play with them.
With James in town, expectations are heightened. The Lakers’ five-year playoff drought is expected to come to an end with James on the roster. There are also challenges that come along with playing alongside James.
While the Lakers approach to building the roster around James differed from how the Cleveland Cavaliers did things, changing how James plays is easier said than done. Taking some of the pressure off his shoulders is key, but the pressure will be on the other players to do their jobs.
However, Kuzma says that he isn’t feeling any added pressure despite James signing with the Lakers. Kuzma recently caught up with Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic and was asked about the pressure of playing with James.
Kuzma was right in his assessment as he and James have yet to take the court together. However, the ever-confident Kuzma doesn’t expect much to change, as he says there is pressure playing for the Lakers in general.
There is an aura that comes with playing for the Lakers. Playing under the bright lights of Hollywood and under so many championship banners and retired numbers isn’t something for everyone.
Next. Kyle Kuzma's Top 5 Games of 2017-18. dark
Kuzma is one of the players who seem to thrive under that pressure and relishes the chance to wear the purple and gold.