Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Players who need to step up with Kyle Kuzma out

(Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers
Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

– Josh Hart

One of the last members of the young core that is still standing is Josh Hart. It hasn’t been an easy year for Hart, as he has dealt with a lot of injuries himself. While he likely isn’t 100 percent, he is out there trying to help this team win games.

With all of the injuries that the Lakers are dealing with right now, Hart is positioned to get a lot more minutes moving forward. Against the Clippers, Hart played 30 minutes for the Lakers, and played effectively. He was able to score 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field, and 2-for-4 from three-point range.

Due to his knee injury, Hart has not been the same player as he was last season. However, he really gave the Lakers a nice boost against the Clippers, and that could be something we see more of as the season rolls on.

In his last two games, Hart’s minutes are certainly trending up. If he continues to get chances, he will help the Lakers on both ends of the court, which is something that they need. Depending on how the starting lineups look without Kuzma, Hart could find himself in the starting five, especially if Ingram continues to miss time. If not, we should expect to see him in the upper 20s in minutes off the bench.

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