Los Angeles Lakers: Five weaknesses from 2018-19 that Kyle Kuzma will improve in 2019-20
5. Playing both ways
Kuzma, in his two years in the league, has shown small glimpses that he can succeed on the defensive end of the floor, but his defensive stats have not been so kind. The stats show that he is a huge liability on that end.
In his rookie season, Kuzma was very bad on the defensive end and Luke Walton, who was the coach at the time, even admitted that he was one of the worst defensive players on the roster. His defensive rating was 107.5 that year and he did not have many big matchups that he was up against.
His second year, while his defensive rating was 109.7, which is higher than his rookie season, he took on more big-time matchups and showed glimpses of what he could do on that end. He’s not a lockdown defender but with his size, versatility and wingspan, he can defend multiple positions.
A positive sign for seeing Kuzma grow in this area is his willingness to work as hard as he possibly can to get better on the defensive end. He has spent countless hours doing defensive drills this offseason and the offseason after his rookie year. He even reached out to Metta World Peace this offseason to get defensive tips.
His grit and wanting to get into the film room to perfect his craft will play out this upcoming season, as he will be better on that end and take on more big-time matchups. It also helps that the Lakers went out and used this offseason to get depth on the defensive end. It will help transition Kuzma into a more efficient defender.
Of the 100 power forwards in the NBA that qualified for the ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus-Minus, Kuzma graded out as number 85. Look for him to improve on that number, and his versatility will give him many opportunities to guard both small forward and power forward this season.
A big factor that will help is the track record of Frank Vogel. He was the key to starting off Paul George‘s career and turning him into a defensive superstar. Kuzma will also have the likes of Jason Kidd and Lionel Hollins on that end to help his progression.