3.) Kyle Kuzma
When it comes to deciding who slots in at the number three and four spots on this team, it undoubtedly has to come to down between Danny Green and Kyle Kuzma. The decision ultimately came down to how much value I placed on offensive and defensive contributions.
Green is unquestionably the better defender, and can guard opposing team’s best wing players. Kuzma is, shall we say, not a great defender, and plays the power forward position, where he will generally be outmatched in terms of size and strength of opposing players.
However, Kuzma is the much more talented offensive player, with the ability to score in a variety of ways, and has even shown flashes of being a capable play-maker. Whether it be off a pick-and-pop, a spot-up situation, or scoring in transition — which is what I believe to be Kuzma’s greatest strength as an offensive player — he has all the tools to be a great third option.
Even for as good as Green is on the defensive end, he can’t be relied upon to create offense in the way Kuzma will be this season, which places a limit on what Green can contribute to this team.
At the end of the day, Kyle Kuzma is one of the Lakers most dynamic scorers, and will be the team’s primary scorer off the bench. Yes, he has his defensive limitations, but his versatility on the offensive end outweighs his deficiencies on that end of the floor.