Los Angeles Lakers: Kyle Kuzma and 3 potential first time Western Conference All-Stars
Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is poised for a big season. He could make his first All-Star appearance this season along with these three other players.
The competition for the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference will be fierce all season. Making the All-Star Game will be no small feat, either.
A player like Kyle Kuzma will have more responsibility on his shoulders due to the devastating injury to teammate DeMarcus Cousins.
With Cousins potentially missing the season, Kyle Kuzma slides into being the clear cut third option on a good Lakers team. Nobody on the Lakers, besides LeBron James and Anthony Davis, is necessarily a shot creator with the exception of Kuzma. This is why he will get a lot of looks. Opposing teams will focus on his two superstar teammates and as a result, he should even be more efficient.
In Kyle Kuzma’s first two seasons he has produced at a high level especially considering that he was the 27th pick in the 2017 NBA draft.
In his rookie season in 2017-18, he shocked many with instant production. As a rookie, he averaged 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds.
Last season, Kyle Kuzma averaged 18.7 points and 5.5 rebounds. He got noticeably stronger and a bit better on the defensive side. He is far from a defensive stopper but was certainly a step better than his rookie season. As a rookie, he would get caught ball watching and was simply out of position. In certain games this past season he made an impact on that side of the ball.
On offense, there are no true red flags for Kyle Kuzma. He is a rare scorer for his position. He can shoot the three, can put it on the ground, and has an array of floaters and even hooks around the basket. Kind of like a hybrid between Antawn Jamison and Carmelo Anthony.
Playing with Team USA this summer will pay dividends as he is learning from guys like Gregg Popovich.
Kyle Kuzma is the least likely to make the All-Star game in these slides but still has a shot. Look for Kuzma to average around 20 points and seven rebounds this season. He may be a lot better on defense too.