Los Angeles Lakers Regular Season Grades: Forwards and Centers
Kyle Kuzma: B-
Defensive Real Plus-Minus: -0.74 (9th)
Field-Goal Percentage Differential: -0.2 (9th)
Defensive Rating: 109.4 (9th)
Offensive Rating: 108 (2nd)
On/Off Offensive Differential: 5.6 (2nd)
Traditional Stats: 19 PPG, 6 RPG, 3 APG, .456 FG%
During the 2018-2019 season, Kyle Kuzma was an offensive anomaly. Kuzma finished the season ranked inside the top 50 in scoring average in the NBA at 19 PPG. Out of those 50 players, he was one of only five to finish the season with a 3-point percentage of 30% or less. Here are the five players.
Joel Embiid: 27.5 PPG, 30 3P%, 4 3PA per game
Russell Westbrook: 22.9 PPG, 29 3P%, 5.6 3PA per game
LaMarcus Aldridge: 21.3 PPG, 23.8 3P%, 0.5 3PA per game
DeMar DeRozan: 21.2 PPG, 15.6 3P%, 0.6 3PA per game
Kyle Kuzma: 18.7 PPG, 30.3 3P%, 6 3PA per game
On the list above you have Joel Embiid, who shot poorly from distance, but who was the most dominating post player in the NBA during the regular season. LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan are also on the list, but neither shot more than 0.6 shots from distance. The only player who’s comparable to Kuzma is Russell “Mr. Triple-Double” Westbrook.
Kyle Kuzma and Russell Westbrook were the only two players during the 2018-2019 season to land in the top-50 in scoring while shooting 30% or less from distance on more than four 3-point attempts per game.
Kyle Kuzma was one of the worst high volume 3-point shooters in the NBA during the regular season. There were 29 players throughout the league who averaged more than three wide open (a defender is more than six feet away) 3-pointers. Kyle Kuzma was one of those players and he had the 2nd worst percentage on those wide-open looks at 31.9%.
It’s clear that Kuzma was an awful 3-point shooter, but it’s also apparent that just like Russell Westbrook, he was still a very good offensive player. He was 2nd on the Lakers in scoring average, he was also 2nd in offensive rating, and he was 2nd in on/off offensive differential.
Kyle Kuzma was an effective offensive player because he did everything except shooting from distance very well. His mid-range game was especially good.
Here’s Kyle Kuzma’s 2018-2019 mid-range FG%:
Kyle Kuzma should definitely work on his 3-point stroke over the summer, but considering the fact that a few weeks ago he admitted that he changed the way he shot the ball from deep six times over the course of the season he might never be a great outside shooter.
Next season, if Kuzma can’t find his stroke, he should start to model his game after DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan knows his limits on the basketball court. He’s a great mid-range shooter and he’s exceptional at getting to the rim, just like Kuzma. However, DeMar can’t shoot from distance, so he only averaged 0.6 3-point attempts during the regular season.
If Kuzma continues to struggle from deep he should follow the same path as DeRozan and stop hoisting 3-pointers, which isn’t a bad way to go considering DeMar DeRozan finished the 2017-2018 season 5th in the MVP race.
As for defense, Kuzma played the way most people predicted he would before the season began. He was one of the Lakers worst defensive players. He was 9th on the team in defensive real plus-minus, 9th in field goal percentage differential, and 9th in defensive rating.
To Kuzma’s credit, he did try hard on the less glamorous side of the ball and he played better than average perimeter defense. He struggled to defend other power forwards down low, though, constantly getting out-muscled in the paint, which hurt the Lakers and dragged down his defensive numbers.
Kyle Kuzma gets a B- because he was the Lakers 2nd best offensive player, but he was also one of the Purple and Gold’s worst defenders.