Kuzma’s Fit with the Second Unit
Kuzma isn’t the strongest defender, but the Lakers would have McGee in the frontcourt; he averaged two blocks per game last season. If Pope can bring the same energy we saw from him with the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles would have a legitimate three-and-D player on the wing.
Dudley offers toughness. So, Kuzma doesn’t have to do the barking, risk taking technical fouls or mixing it up with the opposition. He can simply focus on accumulating buckets. That’s not to say the second-year forward won’t dive for loose balls and show scrappiness, but that doesn’t have to be his primary motive as the featured asset for decent stretches without James on the court.
Of course, when James sits out because of load management, Kuzma wouldn’t have to wait his turn to take over a game. Vogel could simply expand his time with either unit.
Keep in mind, the Lakers didn’t want to include Kuzma in the trade involving Davis, which shows team brass would probably like to see significant growth—what better way to achieve this than putting him in a lead role for parts of a game? Give him room to make mistakes and grow from them.