Los Angeles Lakers: 5 Lessons on Talen Horton-Tucker night vs Clippers

Now that THT is balling, the Los Angeles Lakers will trade Kyle Kuzma. Allegedly! 

For the record, this writer has seen the complaints of some Lake Show Life readers about the constant trade scenarios surrounding Kyle Kuzma. Lake Show Life will have a feature coming this week explaining the sometimes “toxic” relationship surrounding Kyle Kuzma and why he is constantly the subject of such articles. 

Yes, Talen Horton-Tucker had the game of his life, but he sure had a ton of help from his Lakers teammates. Six different Lakers finished the game in double figures, including Kyle Kuzma, whose efficient performance got lost in the midst of Horton-Tucker’s big night.

After what was a listless performance on Friday despite his 18 points, Kuzma bounced back with  25 points (8/14 from the field…4/7 from the 3 point line!) with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and a block.

This divisive narrative of Kyle Kuzma needs to go because it’s not fair to Kuz. Remember, he didn’t have a preseason last year because of lower leg issues. For now, deal with what Doris Burke says on The Woj Pod and be patient.

As the game wore on, Kuzma seemed more engaged in the offense and made sharper cuts making himself available for scoring opportunities. Kuz has shown the ability to move without the ball and make impacts when engaged. His challenge going forward will be doing this on a consistent basis with fewer opportunities when LeBron James and Anthony Davis come back.

Bottom line…Kyle Kuzma has to be consistent when his touches are not.

There is definitely a player on the Lakers bench that can help this transition go a lot smoother. Lesson three covers a player that cleaned up a lot of the offensive ball movement issues from Friday night.