3. Kyle Kuzma
One of the Lakers who has worked with Kobe Bryant in the past is Kyle Kuzma. The two of them talk to each other often and Bryant has been impressed by Kuzma’s play in the past, and how could he not be? Kuzma has been excellent this season, once again.
After bursting onto the scene has a rookie last season, tying for the team lead with 16.1 points per game, Kuzma has continued taking steps forward in his second season, quickly becoming the second go-to scorer alongside LeBron James.
Kuzma is averaging 18.3 points per game this season, averaging 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Kuzma has improved his shooting percentage to 48.4 percent overall and 78.3 percent from the line after shooting 45 percent and 70.7 percent as a rookie.
The only area Kuzma has decreased in is his 3-point shooting. After knocking down 36.6 percent as a rookie, Kuzma is connecting at only a 31.1 percent rate thus far this season. However, that is not what he would need to go to the Mamba Academy for. Instead, he should get sessions in continuing to improve defensively.
Kuzma has taken some big strides this season on the defensive end of the court. He has gotten stronger, which has helped. If he continues cleaning up his technique and getting stronger, he will become an asset on that end of the court as well.
That is where Bryant comes in. He was one of the best defenders in the NBA when he was playing. He could help Kuzma continue to improve defensively. Kuzma could learn a lot from Bryant on both ends of the court, but defensively is where he could really benefit from some lessons.