How Kyle Kuzma has improved for the Los Angeles Lakers offensively:
Kyle Kuzma’s elite off-ball movement explained:
Kyle Kuzma has completely adapted his game to what the Lakers need out of him. What was needed? Someone moving without the ball!
How Kyle Kuzma has picked up the Lakers ball movement:
The Lakers’ offense was often stagnant last season, especially whenever LeBron James or Anthony Davis had the ball. It only takes one player to inspire the rest of the team to change their off-ball habits.
That one player was Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma has inspired the Lakers to play unselfishly. Given he got paid $40 million to embrace his role on the team, everyone else on the team is motivated to sacrifice the “me” for the “we” to get easy baskets on offense.
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1365528118040031232
Simply beautiful!
Ironically enough, Kyle Kuzma was the only player to not touch the ball on this possession. Yet Kuzma staying still was the catalyst for the possession. Defenses have to respect him now.
The Lakers are at their best when they move the ball and themselves once the defense slides over to double-team LeBron James or Anthony Davis. Kuzma’s off-ball movement is a big part of that.
Kyle Kuzma’s shooting touch:
Another subtle move from Kuzma: he always repositions himself to be in the line of sight to the ball in order to immediately catch-and-shoot. Kuzma has a very quick release off the catch. He uses this flare screen from Marc Gasol to knock down the open three-pointer.
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1362608424807063559
Notice how Kuzma walked himself open to the corner. If he had sprinted there, his man (James Harden) would have suspected something was up and gone over the top to deny the pass to Kuzma. Give LeBron James credit for noticing the open skip pass to Kuzma.
Moreover, Kuzma was already in his shooting stance once he caught the ball. Kuzma shoring up his catch-and-shoot fundamentals is a big reason why his three-point shooting has bumped up three percentage points from last season.
Kyle Kuzma the finisher, not the playmaker:
Only LeBron James and very few other players can do everything at an elite level. Kyle Kuzma was often miscast as the main playmaker on the Lakers second unit; his turnovers and overall inconsistent play as the second unit’s go-to scorer frustrated Lakers fans to no end.
No more! Kyle Kuzma is a finisher, not a creator.
While Kuzma has made some strides as a passer and ball-handler, he should be the one to end plays, not to create them. This nifty finish on the left baseline was vintage Kuzma.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 21, 2021
Kuzma excels in transition as a pass-ahead threat. I really like him and Montrezl Harrell as a frontcourt to speed up the game’s tempo coming off the bench. Alex Caruso and Talen-Horton Tucker can run ahead in transition and relentlessly pressure opposing guards to jumpstart the team.
Not to mention, Kuzma is awesome cutting to the basket. His timely cuts generate either an open look for himself or for his teammates. Cuts that result in another player making an open shot should count as an assist; it is that impactful to an offense.
Kuzma would lead the league in off-ball cuts which resulted in a basket.