3. Kyle Kuzma hits a bubble-buzzer-beater over Bol Bol:
Kyle Kuzma provided one of the most exciting moments of the Lakers season as Kuzma hit a high-arching 3-pointer with 0.04 seconds remaining over the 7’8 wingspan of Denver Nuggets rookie Bol Bol. By this point, the season had been ravaged by COVID-19 as Kuzma hit the game-winner inside of the NBA’s Disney World bubble.
The game was tied with 4.5 seconds to go as LeBron inbounded the ball to Anthony Davis before Kyle Kuzma curled around to drill the long-range bucket. The amount of space between Kuzma’s shot and Bol’s arm was reminiscent of Kobe Bryant’s shot at the buzzer against Ruben Patterson of the Portland Trailblazers in 2004.
Bryant was falling away more than Kuzma, but nonetheless, it was an impressive shot. Bryant always believed in Kyle Kuzma, even taking him for dinner to give him advice and admiring Kuzma’s curiosity.
This night feels like a long time ago because everyone believed in Kuzma at this point, including LeBron and Anthony Davis. Kuzma has become one of the most controversial Lakers recently, but this shot is a reminder of why the Lakers signed him to a 3-year extension.
“I think Jesus could be in front of me, and I’m probably still shooting,” said Kuzma when asked about taking a shot that difficult. It’s for reasons like this that some of the greatest Lakers see something special in Kuzma and that he is the longest-tenured Laker.