Los Angeles Lakers: Bond between LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma getting stronger

Although this is just LeBron James’ first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, he has already formed a good relationship with Kyle Kuzma.

When LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, every sports fan knew a change was coming. The balance of power in the NBA immediately shifted because James is simply that good.

However, despite James’ obvious greatness, he cannot do it all alone. Sure, while the man carries the ability to put a team on his back, he was going to need help to bring this Lakers team back to relevancy.

With the Lakers standing at 14-9 as of when this was written, it is safe to say he has gotten some help along the way.

One fine example of that has been in the form of starting center JaVale McGee. Now, before the 2018-2019 campaign started, not many expected much from McGee.

In spite of that, McGee is putting up a career high in points with 12.1 per game. Moreover, the big man has been a juggernaut defensively in view of the 2.7 blocks he is getting nightly.

Another key contributor for the Lakers has been Brandon Ingram. Granted his numbers are a bit below where they were last year, Ingram is still averaging 15.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists.

In terms of B.I, it is clear the third-year player is still developing. The sky is the limit for the former Duke Blue Devil.

One other player worth noting is Kyle Kuzma. As the 2018-2019 season has progressed, the chemistry between James and Kuzma has been hard to not notice. Whenever they are on the court together, things are consistently seamless between the duo.

James recently spoke about his relationship with “Kuuuz,” and commended his teammate’s desire to become a better baller.

Per Yahoo Sports, the superstar said the following with respect to Kuzma.

"“He’s not allowing anybody to put a cap on him and saying he’s just a scorer, I think he wants to be more than that,” James told reporters.“He’s continuing to get better and better, not just offensively but defensively. He’s just playing all-round solid basketball.”"

James brings up a good point about Kuzma. The 23-year-old tends to get a bad rap when it comes to what he brings to the table defensively.

Sure, it is fair to argue Kuzma could improve in that area. However, Kuzma’s work ethic is more than evident and that was impossible to not see even when he was a rookie.

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As a late first-round draft pick two summers back, “Kuuuz” knows what it feels like to be underrated. Indeed, scoring is his best ability, but the sophomore is the type of guy that seems to use criticism as fuel. He does not let it distract him.

Up to this point in his young career, one thing stands out about Kyle Kuzma. The dude appears to be only concerned with basketball, that’s basically it.

When James went on to depict how the bond between him and Kuzma started, the former revealed that it all started when he was still in Cleveland.

Via the same Yahoo Sports report, LeBron referenced how curious the Flint, Michigan native was as a newcomer.

"“It [the relationship] started as soon as I signed, he was the first guy to call me off the team.“It actually started before that, we’d been talking when I was in Cleveland, he wanted to pick my brain, talk about how he could get better.”"

This speaks wonders about Kuzma. Things of this nature signify that he clearly wants to be as good of a basketball player as possible. Certainly, asking one of the all-time greats for advice is not too shabby of a route to take.

The former University of Utah standout did the same thing last year with Kobe Bryant. The two had dinner at one point, and the primary topic of discussion was none other than basketball.

That being said, it further validates the idea that the youngster’s main focus is basketball.

When asked about the bond he has with James, Kuzma mentioned what he originally gleaned from the seasoned veteran.

"“I texted him early on [last season] after we played Cleveland [Cavaliers] trying to figure out what he does with his body, how he takes care of it.”"

James is now in his 16th season, and few players can make it this far and remain at the top of their game. Thus, the fact that the young Laker asked about this, in particular, is sensible.

There are a lot of games left to be played in 2018-2019. Accordingly, one can only hope that the relationship between James and Kuzma yields even more positivity each and every contest.