Los Angeles Lakers: 4 Lessons in last-second loss to Miami Heat

Kyle Kuzma contributed more than the Los Angeles Lakers fanbase realizes!

Lake Show Life had just finished talking about LeBron’s aggressiveness. Kyle Kuzma did not have aggression issues looking for his shots. Either by design or with his back against the wall.

Kuzma finished the rest of the first quarter on fire as the Lakers’ biggest offensive weapon keeping the Lakers from being blown out of the Staples Center. But his defense was on display as well. Here’s where the headline needs to be explained.

Kuzma had 14 points at the half, but did not have a rebound, assist, steal, block or anything. He had zeroes in every other category in the box score. However, he did compete on the defensive end.

Fun fact: Did you know that Kyle Kuzma was ranked 5th in the NBA in defensive rating?

It was some defense that slowed Bam Adebayo down in the second half and he was a part of that. He also competed well defensively against Jimmy Butler.

Kuzma led the Lakers in scoring with 23 points (8-21 shooting!) and 4 rebounds. At times, he looked like the only Laker player that wasn’t afraid to shoot the ball.

What made Kuzma stand out from the other players is that he shot the ball when he was open. Something his teammates did not do at times throughout the game. Did he shoot a poor percentage? Sure. But it’s worse to throw the offense out of whack passing up shots and it’s even worse when your opponent can see the confidence fading.

There is a player on the Los Angeles Lakers roster that will not have these problems if he gets a chance. But the problem is he’s not getting enough time on the floor to get a chance!