Even though he was only out for four games, LeBron James said that the Los Angeles Lakers missed Kyle Kuzma.
As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare for the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, they will have one of their best players making his season debut.
To start the season, the Lakers have been without their young star, Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma was really the only member of the young core that wasn’t traded for Anthony Davis this offseason, as the team clearly values what he can bring.
As a forward that can play multiple spots, Kuzma is a very valuable player for the Lakers. More than likely, he will be coming off the bench, as the starting lineup has looked pretty good so far this season.
Recently, LeBron James talked about that the Lakers have missed Kuzma to start the season.
LeBron on Kyle Kuzma, who he said practiced today: “He looks like Kuz, but it’s going to take him a little bit of time to get into game shape ... (there’s no substitute for playing actual NBA games) ... it’s great to have him back on the floor, we definitely missed him.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 31, 2019
Considering Kuzma is a player that can average close to, if not 20 points per night, the Lakers being 3-1 without him is pretty impressive. While Kuzma won’t be full ready for his normal minutes right away, he should be able to provide a little extra scoring punch to the bench.
With Davis showing a willingness to play at the center position to start the season if needed, we could eventually see a closing lineup that features Davis at center with LeBron and Kuzma at the forward spots.
So far this season, the Lakers have also been one of the best defensive teams in the league. Defense has been an issue for Kuzma in the first two years of his career, but it is something that he has acknowledged and has been working on.
Adding Kuzma to the lineup will really strengthen the scoring depth of the Lakers. James and Davis have been carrying the load on offense with Vogel staggering the minutes of both of them so one is always on the court. When Kuzma is healthy and right, Vogel will likely experiment running the offense through him.
As arguably the 3rd best player on the team, Kuzma has certainly been missed. Luckily, the Lakers are a much better team this season and have been able to thrive in his absence.