Los Angeles Lakers: An early look at the 9-man playoff rotation
Kyle Kuzma
The Lakers defacto 3rd star.
Kyle Kuzma will have a bigger role to play in a Lakers playoff push than anyone not named Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
The last remaining member of the much-beloved young core, Kyle Kuzma was taken out of any trade talks for Anthony Davis, showing just how much the organization thinks of him.
When you look at Kuzma it isn’t hard to see why they pushed so hard to keep him.
Kuzma’s work ethic and willingness to get better is apparent to every person he comes in contact with. He was not a highly recruited high school player and the chip on his shoulder to prove people wrong has pushed him to heights a lot of people may not have realized he could reach.
His upbringing in Flint, Michigan has also shaped Kuzma’s game. Kuzma plays unafraid, he plays with a hard-working mentality. While his skills on the defensive end are not great it is not from a lack of trying. His willingness to work with coaches to improve his skill sets on both ends of the floor is noticed and he will be a star in this league sooner rather than later.
Kuzma right now is coming off the bench due to Anthony Davis and LeBron James both playing in his preferred position. While to many young stars, this may be a source of anger as they are not starting, Kyle Kuzma does not buy into that.
Kuzma’s mentality is to be a team-first guy. Knowing that he is going to get buckets whether he is starting or coming off the bench.
Kuzma is the perfect person to lead the scoring for the 2nd unit. If he can give the Lakers 20PPG off the bench, then the Lakers are going to win a lot of games this season.
He is going to be huge in the playoffs as he will be asked to play massive minutes. For most young players this might be too much too soon but not for Kuz. His upbringing, his lack of college offers and his mentality on the court and in life will not allow for him to wither away in moments like this.
Expect Kuz to be a key contributor in the playoffs.