Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Reasons why Kyle Kuzma should come off the bench

Bench Role Allows Kuzma More Room to Grow

We all know when James steps on the court, he’s the Chessmaster—making moves and putting players in position to execute with the ball in his hands. Kuzma could benefit in that setting—we saw proof last year with him in the starting lineup.

Vogel could stagger his rotations, so Kuzma and James share some time on the court, but what about unleashing the upstart forward as the leader in the second unit?

Kuzma would have the ability to develop his game as the main contributor as opposed to the third or fourth option behind James, Anthony Davis and, at times, DeMarcus Cousins if he looks anything close to his All-Star form.

Coming off the pine, Kuzma would become the first option for buckets. The coaching staff can pair him with Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jared Dudley and JaVale McGee in the second unit.

Kuzma knocks down his shot at a higher clip than Pope, who shoots 41 percent from the field for his career. We’d likely see steady growth in the former’s game without James running the show—the ups, downs and development, specifically during the regular season.

James would be able to bide time for stretches on the bench and watch Kuzma elevate his game with teammates looking for him to rack up points.