For the last two games, Kyle Kuzma has really stepped up for the Los Angeles Lakers without their two superstars.
The Los Angeles Lakers were able to handle their business on a short two-game road trip against the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. As of now, both of those teams are playoff contenders, and the Lakers were able to get nice wins over each of them.
Against the Mavericks, the Lakers did have LeBron James in the lineup, but were without Anthony Davis due to his fall against the New York Knicks. James had a monster game as expected without Davis, and the Lakers got an easy win.
However, against the Thunder, the Lakers were without Davis, LeBron, and Danny Green. This resulted in the Lakers being big underdogs on the road, but they found a way to get the win. A main reason for that was the play of Kyle Kuzma.
For the last week or so, Kuzma has been involved in trade rumors. As the Lakers might attempt to improve their roster, Kuzma is arguably their most desirable trade asset. Considering he has had a down season, some might have soured on his potential. However, after being inserted into the starting lineup, Kuzma has played fantastic.
In the win against the Mavericks, Kuzma totaled 26 points on 41 percent shooting from the field. While that was a good showing, Kuzma played even better against the Thunder, as he totaled 36 points on 63 percent shooting from the field.
With two strong performances, hopefully this is Kuzma turning a corner this season. With James and Davis both potentially back on Monday against the Cavaliers, it will be interesting to see how Kuzma performs if he is moved back to the bench.
Frank Vogel will have to carefully monitor what is best for Kuzma. Even though he has been disappointing this season, he clearly does have some great potential as a scorer. With two straight great games, the trade rumors might be put on the back burner for a little while.