Los Angeles Lakers: 3 bold predictions for the 2020-21 season
By Kent Coleman
Los Angeles Lakers bold predictions: Kyle Kuzma gets a Contract Extension
Kyle Kuzma has been a part of trade discussions from the moment he entered the league in 2017, so much so, he may even be used to it by now. For all his faults as a player, he has done a good job of forging on and playing solid basketball amidst his name being mentioned so heavily in the rumor mill.
I think the Lakers have a certain affinity for Kyle Kuzma. They made it very clear when trying to trade for Anthony Davis two summers ago that they were not going to include him in any package. Late Laker Legend Kobe Bryant always spoke highly of Kuzma.
Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka always laud his work ethic and commitment to the team when given an opportunity. And while recently fans have gotten on him for not being the third start we had hoped, we must not forget that this is the same guy who averaged 18.7 points per game in his second NBA season.
His career has been defined by adjusting. When he was asked to score and be “the guy” he was ready for it. When LeBron came to LA and he was asked to play off the ball more, he did; it took a while to click, but he did. This past year, he was asked to focus on parts of the game that didn’t involve him scoring, and he did. My point? He is coachable, and he works his butt off.
Oh yeah, he’s also 25 years old! There is a lot of good basketball to be played by this young man. Especially assuming his hard work pays off and he improves with time. I do think that Kuz could have a future with this team after this year, but the reason why I’m confident he’ll get a contract extension is because he will continue to put his head down and work throughout this LeBron/AD era.
That is a the type of player any roster would want, and I think after a few stand out performances this year, Laker Nation will rediscover their love and respect for him.
This is a bold but also a realistic prediction for one more reason. Were Kuz to sign a contract for a reasonable amount of money and length, say 3yrs/$48mil or so, he could become an even more valuable trade asset. It’s not a cap crippling amount of money and pretty solid bang for your buck depending on your franchise’s goal.
As mentioned before, he’s young, he’s coachable, and since he has been asked to play so many roles in his young career he will be a solid addition to any team. For these reasons, Kyle Kuzma will get a contract extension this season.
Next. Predicting every game of the newly-released schedule. dark
Closing Thoughts
This whole year has been unpredictable, so it seems like anything really could happen. I had to fight with my fingers not to type that AD and LeBron will win the first-ever Co-MVP and that Schröder, Harrell and Kuz will all be All-Stars. That may be too bold, but these seemed more likely, even though they may not happen.
One not so bold prediction we can all bet on, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to be a very good team this year.