Kuzma’s Los Angeles Lakers career to date
Kuzma began his career with the purple and gold with so much promise.
Drafted late in the 1st round, nobody was expecting much from Kyle Kuzma. Players in the late ’20s are expected to be rotational pieces and at best are potential borderline starters. When Kuzma fell to the Lakers at 27th in the 2017 NBA Draft, they jumped at the opportunity of taking him.
On draft night, fans of the purple and gold were baffled by the choice. A 3-year college player who seemingly had talent but it wasn’t clear what he brought to the table that they didn’t already have.
Lakers’ scouting department at the time including Ryan West and Jesse Buss viewed Kyle Kuzma as the perfect modern-day stretch 4.
They were spot on with their assessment.
In Kuzmas 1st season with the Lakers, he was an absolute revelation.
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He had an already well-developed offensive arsenal that allowed him to get buckets early on in his career, he showed an ability to hit the 3-point shot with consistency and looked as if he would be the perfect modern-day stretch 4 for this new look Lakers team.
Kuzma particularly hit it off with fellow rookie and 2nd overall pick Lonzo Ball.
Ball and Kuzma became very close off the court and the instant chemistry between the two was apparent with Ball finding Kuzma all over the floor for easy buckets, whether it was in transition with a perfect half-court pass, hitting Kuz in the chest with a perfectly timed pass in the corner or if Kuz was back-cutting to the rim.
Lonzo and Kuz gave fans of the purple and gold hope that the future would be bright.
With Lonzo now a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, Kuz seems to have lost his way a little.
With the Los Angeles Lakers signing Markieff Morris in February, it seems that Kuzma’s place with the Lakers has become even more uncertain.