Los Angeles Lakers: 4 bold, yet realistic takes for 2019-20 season
2. Kyle Kuzma Wins Most Improved Player
Kuzmania is going to need to have a super-volcano-size eruption this season if the Lakers are going to win a championship. Since the Lakers said that AD won’t be spending more time at center with Boogie Cousins being injured, the means no one else is going to have to step up more for this team than Kyle Kuzma.
To be honest, I fully believe he can take this pressure and help the Lakers turn it into diamonds. To be more specific, very expensive and beautifully crafted diamonds, that will be placed on a massive ring that is then given out on the first game of the 2020-2021 NBA season to the reigning World Champion Los Angeles Lakers. You ready Kyle?
Unlike my first take, this one is more bold than it is realistic. The main reason being, it is almost impossible, in sports, to try and predict who will have a breakout season. If it was easy, I’d be killing it in Fantasy Football every year, instead of losing in the first round of the playoffs.
However, there are some valid points as to why I believe Kuz can make the jump this season from role player to potential All-Star.
Kyle has been putting in work this summer. As you all know, Kuzma is played with Team USA this summer before suffering an ankle injury. Despite that injury, this is huge for Kuz for a couple reasons.
One, he is spending his offseason surrounded by basketball and NBA talent players that he is consistently practicing and working out with. He has been learning from some of the best coaches in basketball.
Two, there are a number of young players, still on their rookie contracts, that played for Team USA and the following summer went on to have their breakout seasons. The most recent examples being Derrick Rose before he won his 2011 NBA MVP and Russell Westbrook before he became one of the most dangerous guards the NBA has ever seen and helped lead the Thunder to the Western Conference Finals in 2011.
Now while the roster for USA’s FIBA World Cup Team isn’t locked yet, he’s still gained valuable experience and training in the time he spent with these players and coaches and it should have a significant impact on his improvement for next season.
I am a big fan of NBA Skills Coach, Chris Brickley. I believe he is genius at what he does, all of the players he works with trust him and advocate for him and he knows how to help players develop their games in a way that takes them to another level.
Working out with the skills coach that has helped names like Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook improve on their already ridiculous skillset is going to help Kuzma become something the Lakers need from him more now than ever, an absolutely lethal offensive weapon.
With the work that Kuzma has been putting in, there is no reason to believe he can’t fulfill this. He averaged 18.7 PPG, shooting 45.6% from the field and an abysmal 30.3% from deep. Clearly, there is room for improvement, especially from long range. I don’t see why Kuzma can’t get those numbers up to 23-24 PPG and 38-40% from downtown. Imagine those numbers from your third scoring option….pretty dangerous right?
I mean just look how beautiful his shot is looking.