Rebounding
One area that is important for Kuzma’s development is rebounding. As a rookie Kuzma averaged 6.3 rebounds, that number dipped to 5.5 in his second season. It’s strange because Kuzma also played two more minutes a game in year two (33.1 mpg).
It wasn’t expected for Kuzma to average 10 rebounds or anywhere in that vicinity, but it’s reasonable to think he can average around seven per contest. In college as a sophomore at Utah, he averaged 5.7 rebounds. That number skyrocketed to 9.3 in his junior season as he played a bit more down low.
A big reason he may be averaging only six rebounds in his career can also be because he doesn’t crash the glass like most bigs. His game is similar on both ends to a bigger small forward due to his mobility and the way he scores on the offensive end. He is seen guarding wings at times, who like to spread the floor, keeping him away from the paint.
If Kuzma can bump up his rebounding numbers it will go a long way. The Lakers should actually be one of the best rebounding teams with the additions of Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. The team actually ranked sixth in the category last season (46.6 rpg).